This is sort of an AU.
Priya does not exist in this one shot. It's just Anthea.
Percy and Annabeth were sent on a quest when Anthea was just a baby. They have not returned and Anthea has been dying to know who her parents are.

The dream was a bit blurry but Anthea could still make out the shapes of two adults; one boy and one girl. The man, maybe in his early twenties, had raven black unruly hair and bright sea green eyes that seemed to be filled with tears. The woman, around the same age as the man, had blonde curly hair and sparkling grey eyes. She seemed to be tired.

Suddenly Anthea heard a muffled cry of a baby in her dream. In confusion, Anthea continued to look at the setting of the off dream. Why was she having a dream about two adults in a hospital room? A baby with blonde curly hair was placed onto the woman's chest. Well that explains it but why these random people?

The woman sobbed in happiness and wrapped her arms around the baby while the man smiled down warmly.

Anthea narrowed her eyes and gasped at the sudden realization. The woman had blonde curly hair just like Anthea and the man had sea green eyes just like her. Were these her parents? The parents she was so angry at for leaving her at a strange camp as a baby?

The woman started to say something but Anthea woke up.

Anthea tore the blankets off her and sat at the edge of her bed, feet planted to the humid sticky wooden floor. She wanted to scream and cry. She actually got to see her parents, not in person but in a dream.

It's been twelve years. Twelve years since she was brought to camp and dropped off so her parents could run off somewhere. Anthea didn't know why because no one would tell her anything. She knew nothing about her parents.

She didn't even know their names.

Sighing, Anthea stood and changed into jean shorts and a black tank top. She left her curly hair down so they tumbled over her shoulders. Pulling on her grey high top converse, Anthea blinked the tears out of her eyes.

Imagine being dropped off at a weird camp where god's were real at eight months old. Anthea laughed humorlessly to herself. She absolutely hated her parents for it.

Why didn't they want her?

"You're okay," Anthea whispered to herself when she started to hyperventilate from trying not to cry. "You're fine. You've got friends here and Chiron. He's like your dad."

With a fake smile on her face, Anthea walked out of her room at the big house. She didn't have a cabin because no one would tell her anything, as she mentioned before.

She noticed Chiron wasn't present in the big house so she just left, wanting to get to the pavilion before breakfast ended. On her way there she fell into a stride beside two new campers. They were complaining about something and Anthea strained her ears to eavesdrop.

"-know right. It sucks only having one parent present in our lives." One of the campers shook their heads. "Sucks so bad."

Anthea clenched her fists, fuming. "Shut up!"

"Excuse me?" The other camper asked. Probably a daughter of Aphrodite.

"I said shut up!" Her eyes stung. "You can't complain! At least you know who your parents are! You have a mortal parents and you have a godly parent! So stop complaining!"

The daughter of Aphrodite cocked an eyebrow. "You do too."

"No." Anthea shook her head. "All I know about my parents is that they were both demigods and they left me here when I was only eight months to go run off somewhere. It's been twelve years."

The other camper, maybe a daughter of Athena, hence the grey eyes, frowned. "We're sorry." They rushed away to the pavilion.

"That's what I thought," Anthea muttered to herself and she walked up the steps to the pavilion. She grabbed a plate and wished for blue pancakes. She didn't know why but she always found blue food more appealing than regular colored foods.

Since Anthea didn't know her parents, she doesn't have an actual table so Chiron told her to sit down at any table. Sitting down at the Aphrodite table, Anthea grinned at her best friend, Isabella Grace. Her parents were apparently friends with hers but of course, they haven't told her anything.

"What's up?" Isabella popped a grape into her mouth.

Anthea groaned. "I had a dream. I think it was about my parents."

Isabella leaned closer and nodded. "What was it about?"

"My...mom was laying in a hospital bed and she was holding a baby. My dad was standing off to the side with a smile."

"You should ask Chiron who they were after breakfast."

"I know." Anthea buried her face in her hands. "Everytime I ask he just smiled sadly and tells me to get back to my classes. 'I'll tell you when you're older'." She rolled her eyes.

Isabella pursed her lips. "I'll go with you."

"Okay."

----

After breakfast, Anthea and Isabella skipped archery to go to talk to Chiron. They looked everywhere for him; the big house, stables, arena, amphitheater but he was nowhere.
"The lake?" Isabella suggested.

They finally found Chiron. He was standing on the beach, gazing out at the water, a wistful look in his eyes. A small smile graced his face like he was reliving joyful memories.

Anthea cleared her throat gaining the centaur's attention. "Um, Chiron? I had a dream about what I think...my parents."

Chiron sighed and gestured for the two girls to stand beside him. "What did they look like, Child?"

"The girl had blonde curly hair and grey eyes. The boy had black hair and sea green eyes. The girl was holding a baby with blonde curly hair." Anthea bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't turn her away once again.

"That's them."

Anthea's eyes widened. "Really? Then, Chiron, who were my parents?"

"I suppose it's time you knew." Anthea smiled. "Your parents were the finest heroes of their generation, the finest I've ever met."

"Who?" Isabella asked.

Chiron grinned. "Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson. Well, Annabeth Jackson now."

Isabella's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. "The Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson? Two time saviors of Olympus? Survivors of Tartarus? The Percabeth?"

"I see your mother has told you much about them," Chiron laughed and patted her shoulder. Isabella blushed and nodded.

Anthea though, wasn't finding any of this amusing or incredible. Her parents were supposedly heroic and the best people to ever walk the earth but they couldn't even keep their own daughter? The hatred for her parents grew. "So, what you're telling me is that my parents are heroic but they left me here? So they could go and run around?"

Chiron shook his head sadly. "Follow me to the big house. I will tell you the story on the way."

A couple minutes passed before Anthea got impatient. "Could you tell me now? Please?"

"Yes," Chiron said. "You were eight months when your parents were called back to Camp Half-Blood for an emergency meeting. There was another quest that had to be accomplished and your parents were chosen by the gods to go."

Anthea frowned. "But they had me! They could have stayed back!"

Chiron shook his head. "I'm afraid it doesn't work that way, dear. Anyway, there were many tears and arguments. Your parents left you here in the care of Piper McLean's care, Isabella's mom."

"My mom took care of her?" Isabella asked mostly to herself but Chiron must not have heard her because he continued.

"I promise you, Anthea, that they didn't know that they wouldn't make it. They loved you so much, more than any parent had loved their child before. You brought joy to their lives and it hurt so much to see them leave you."

Anthea still wasn't having it. "I hate them."

"They didn't have a choice," Chiron tried to persuade her. "When the gods say a certain demigod, they don't have a choice. You either go or get blasted to death."

"So they did want me?" Anthea took a deep breath.

Chiron nodded. "If they didn't you would be in an orphanage instead of here."

Anthea breathed out a laugh. "But why am I not living with the Grace's if I was left with Piper?"

"You lived with them until you were about one," Chiron explained. "Then Isabella came along and though they felt terrible, they couldn't handle two babies. So I took you in and raised you."

"Thank you for doing so," Anthea said thankfully as they walked into the big house. "What are we doing here?"

"I have a couple pictures I've been wanting to give to you. They were supposed to be birthday gifts but now that you know, now seems like the appropriate time." Chiron dug around in his desk before pulling out two square shapes wrapped in grey and sea green wrapping paper. "Go ahead, open them."

Slowly, Anthea unwrapped them and her eyes pooled with tears as she stared down at the two objects. They were pictures. One was a family picture that was taken on Half-Blood Hill. Her parents, Percy and Annabeth were seated next to each other while a baby, her, sat between them, a big smile on her chubby face.

Anthea sniffed and glanced at the other picture. In this one, her parents were younger. They were maybe seventeen? Eighteen? Her mom, Annabeth, was atop her dad's back, her arms wrapped around his neck. His hands were placed on her legs to keep her from falling and they both had the brightest smiles on their faces.

Anthea almost smiled, key word almost. "H-how much did they love each other? Or were they like some people who say they love each other but really don't?"

Chiron actually laughed, hard. "They were so in love with each other, Child. Percy couldn't keep his eyes off her for a whole minute and Annabeth couldn't go a day without laughing at him. They may have been complete opposites and their parents may be rivals but they still loved each other."

"Their parents were rivals?"

Isabella nodded. "She was a daughter of Athena and he was a son of Poseidon."

"Oh." Anthea stared down at the pictures. Even though she hated them for leaving, even if it wasn't their fault, she couldn't help but want to meet them. Her heart throbbed to feel her mother's arms wrap around her body or the sound of her father's voice telling her stories.

"You look just like your mom," Isabella commented.

Chiron nodded in agreement. "You have a grandmother. Her name is Sally. She's your father's mom. I could have Piper take you to see her some time."

"I would like that." At this, Anthea smiled. At least she could have some connection with her family. "D-do you think she would take me in? Let me go to school?"

"Of course." Chiron grinned. "The woman doesn't have a mean bone in her body and she loved you to death. I get calls every week from her to check in on you."

Anthea furrowed her eyebrows. "W-why didn't you tell me anything? Let me talk to my grandma?"

"It was safer that way."

"How?" She fought back.

"The more you know, the more danger you're in," Chiron said. "Your parents made everyone swear that they would protect you, even if that meant that you grew up not knowing who they were."

"Okay." She took a shaky breath. "Why-"

The door slammed open, revealing Nico Di Angelo. He was also friends with her parents apparently and he lived at camp with his husband, Will Solace.

Chiron made a face of confusion. "What is it?" Nico gave him a knowing look and the old centaur's lips broke into an unbelieving grin. "Really?" Nico nodded.

"Half Blood Hill." Nico breathed in deeply. "Finishing off some empousa."

Chiron nodded and turned to Anthea. "Come on, Child."

Anthea followed Chiron over to Half Blood Hill. She didn't know what they were doing there but it was okay because her whole life no one told her anything. "Chiron? What are we doing..." She trailed off as she looked at the top of a hill where a woman with blonde curly hair stabbed a monster and it crumbled into gold dust.

The woman wiped her forehead and high fived and man with jet black hair. Anthea couldn't hear much of what the woman was saying but she could make out the words: never, old, Seaweed Brain.

Laughing, the two adults started walking down the hill, hand in hand. Anthea hid behind Chiron, knowing he was tall enough to hide her completely. She knew who these people were and she was not ready to face them.

"Welcome back heroes!" Chiron exclaimed as the adults reached the bottom of the hill. The campers cheered. "Where were you two for twelve years?"

The woman, Annabeth, sighed and shared a glance with the man, Percy. "As you know there was a quest. We were almost finished when we got kidnapped by giants."

Percy snorted. "Imagine the two time saviors of Olympus getting taken by giants."

Annabeth slapped his chest playfully. "Shut up. Anyway, we were held hostage for...what was it? Three or four years? I don't know. We escaped and the nearest place we knew was Camp Jupiter so we went there."

Percy cut in. "They wouldn't let us leave until we were fully healed. Annabeth had broken her ankle again and was stabbed in the abdomen by a monster. She was in a coma for a couple months and I could do nothing but watch."

"Don't make me sound like I was the only one hurt, Seaweed Brain." Annabeth rolled her eyes. Anthea smiled because it looked just like her when she rolled her eyes. "Percy was beaten up pretty badly. Scratched by an empousa and the poison started getting into his blood, causing seizures. The seizures went on for about a couple years until they finally stopped. They ran a blood test and the poison was finally gone."

"Then when we were fully healed from injuries, the Roman's wouldn't let us leave until we gained our previous weight back. Not much to eat on a quest," Percy said and nudged Annabeth with his shoulder.

Annabeth nodded. "And we were sleep deprived so they wouldn't let us leave because of that." She pursed her lips. "Four years later and we're finally one hundred percent healed and healthy."

"We are glad to have you back," Chiron said, the biggest smile Anthea has ever seen on his face.

Anthea bit her lip. All that talk and there wasn't a single mention of a daughter. Maybe these people weren't her parents and she had gotten them mixed up with someone else.

Percy cleared his throat. "Anthea, is she-"

Anthea's heart dropped. So they were her parents and they remembered her.

"Gods, Chiron." Annabeth breathed. "Don't tell us she's-"

Chiron held up a hand to silence her. "She's quite alright. Just learned about you two today because she had a dream. She's a bit shocked and angry right now."

"Where is she?" Pecy asked.

"Come on, Child." Chiron reached behind him and grabbed her hand. "It's alright."

Nervously, Anthea slowly walked out from behind Chiron and bit her lips to keep from crying out. Her mom's eyes widened and she clasped a hand over her mouth to keep a gasp from explaining. Her dad's eyes immediately brightened and he smiled at her.

She stopped walking and stood a couple feet in front of them, just taking in the moment. After twelve, long, and painful years, she's finally meeting her parents. The people who left her, not because they didn't want her but to protect her. They wanted her. They loved her. And Anthea may have been angry at them before but now she couldn't find any anger within her, just the urgent need to cry into her mom's shoulder.

Annabeth slowly took a step forward and whispered, "Anthea?"

"Mom," Anthea sighed in relief.

A sob broke out of Annabeth and she reached forward, wrapping Anthea in a tight hug. Anthea cried along with her, wrapping her arms around her mom's back in return. She never wanted to let go. She's wished for this for so long; to have her own mom hug her, not someone else's.

Annabeth buried one hand on her hair while the other was kept around her waist. She bent down and pressed a motherly kiss to her head and Anthea felt her legs began to wobble. "I'm so sorry, Honey." Anthea's heart soared.

"It's okay, Mom," Anthea cried and her legs finally gave out. Annabeth dropped to the ground with her, keeping her arms tight around Anthea as she rocked them back and forth.

"I love you so much," Annabeth whispered and kissed her head once again.

Anthea blinked her eyes open and glanced up at her dad. He grinned back at her and she separated from her mom, standing back up. "Dad," She sighed and hugged him tight.

Percy sniffed and hugged his daughter back, running his hand up and down her back in a fatherly manner, much like Chiron did when she cried about her parents. But this felt different. "We're sorry, Anthea. We didn't want to leave." He kissed the top of her head.

Anthea pulled away and wiped her eyes. "I spent my whole life thinking that my parents left me because they didn't want me." The tears started coming again, rolling down her face. "I felt unwanted my whole life. No one would tell me anything, not where I came from, not who my grandparents were, they didn't tell me that I had a grandma in the city." She took a deep breath. "I-I didn't even know your names."

Once again, Annabeth sobbed. "We love you." she reached out a hand and rested it against Anthea's cheek, brushing the tears away with her thumb. "We love you so much." Then she hugged her again.

Anthea cried into her mom's shoulder for a long time, letting out all the anger that she bottled up inside for twelve years. She cried about anything and everything. She cried harder when she felt her dad join the hug, tears dropping on to her head. "I never thought I'd get to meet you."

"We're right here, Honey," Annabeth muttered, running her fingers soothingly through Anthea's curls. "We're right here."

"And we're not leaving," Percy whispered.

Anthea sniffed and pulled away. "Please tell me this isn't a dream."

Percy shook his head. "It's not a dream, I promise."

"And you guys are staying?"

Annabeth nodded. "We have an apartment in Manhattan, well probably not anymore. We may have to stay here until we can afford a new one. We'll have to get new jobs."

Chiron cut in. "Actually, Percy, your mother has been paying the bills for your house and going once a week to keep it clean. She also somehow convinced your bosses so that you guys can go back to work whenever. I don't know how she does it."

Percy gaped. "You're kidding." Chiron shook his head. "So we can move back in whenever?"

Chiron nodded again.

"Wait." Anthea's eyes filled with tears. "You're moving away? Leaving me here again?"

"What?" Annabeth frowned. "No! You'll come with us, Anthea. You're our daughter, we'll take you with us."

Percy looked down at Anthea nervously. "If you want to." Annabeth nodded in agreement. "We know that we aren't the best parents and that you probably hate us so we're not going to make you live with us if you'd rather stay here."

Anthea quickly shook her head and hugged them both tight. "No, no. I want to live with you guys. And I did hate you but now I just can't. I love you both."

She heard her mom start crying again. "We can leave whenever you're ready."

"I'll pack my bags." Anthea turned and ran toward the big house.

----

After saying goodbye to her friends and Chiron, Anthea hopped into the white Delphi's Strawberry van. She sat in between her parents in the backseat and glanced at Argus who smiled. She was still quite weirded out about all his eyes.

A couple minutes into the ride, her mom spoke up. "What's your favorite color?" She laughed. "Sorry but..."

"I know. It's okay." Anthea grinned. "Um, blue."

"Me too!" Her dad exclaimed, giving her a high five. "I love blue food. It's so much better than regular colored foods." Anthea's eyes widened for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"I've been eating blue food since I was eight," Anthea said. "I never knew why but now I do."

Annabeth chuckled. "You take after your father."

Anthea repeated the word: father in her mind. She probably would never get used to having parents but she finally felt whole having them with her. She's always had this empty spot inside her and she didn't feel empty anymore.

They talked for another ten minutes, getting to know each other until Anthea started to get tired. Her eyes stung from crying so much and they grew heavy. She leaned her head on her mom's shoulder and Annabeth immediately wrapped her arm around her.

She fell asleep to her mom's fingers softly caressing her forehead. The touch was familiar, almost like Annabeth used to do this same thing to get her to sleep as a baby.

----

Anthea woke up to someone shaking her shoulder. Opening her eyes, Anthea realized that her head now laid on her dad's shoulder. "What-?"

"We're here." Percy unbuckled his seatbelt and Anthea did the same with hers.

They climbed out of the van, thanking Argus for the ride, and her parents lead Anthea to the apartment. "This is where you- we- used to live?"

"Yes," Annabeth replied and waved to the doorman who looked back at her shocked.
They walked inside, taking the elevator. Soon the doors opened and Anthea was the first to step back into the hallway. She'd never been on an elevator and it wasn't her favorite thing to do. It was like a box that was held by a chain and if it failed to safely go up or down, they'd fall to their deaths. Not very thrilling.

She followed her parents down the hallway and they stopped in front of the last door to the right. Percy grabbed the key out of his pocket and was about to unlock the door when he stopped.

Annabeth frowned. "Percy?" She whispered, clearly concerned. Anthea observed her parents and now really understood what Chiron was talking about. Just one name coming out of her mom's mouth and Anthea already knew how much her mom cared for her dad.

"Sorry." Percy shook his head and pointed at the doorknob. "It's unlocked."

"Is your mom here?" Annabeth asked. "Chiron said she comes once a week."

Percy shrugged and pushed open the door. The sound of a vacuum cleaner filled their ears and they all simultaneously winced. They walked deeper into the apartment and Annabeth shot the door quite loudly after Anthea walked inside, bags still in hand.

The noise from the vacuum stopped and the soft patter of feet came closer to where they were standing. A woman maybe in her mid fifties came into view and Anthea gasped quietly. This was her grandma and she was beautiful. She aged well, not looking a day over thirty. Her hair was still mostly brown and the only wrinkles on her face were by her eyes, she must have smiled a lot.

Her grandma covered her mouth and muttered a bit muffled, "Percy."

"Hey, Mom." Percy gave her a lopsided grin and Anthea giggled because it made him look like a small child. "Sorry I disappeared on you again."

"You idiot!" Her grandma, Sally, pulled Percy into a hug. As they did so, Annabeth moved to stand next to Anthea, grabbed her hand. "You disappear for eight months and then when you finally have peace you disappear for twelve years!"

Percy laughed quietly. "I'm sorry, Mom."

She pulled away, smiling. "You better be sorry."

"I am."

Sally's blue eyes drifted over to Annabeth and Anthea. She gasped again, her eyes crinkling up as her smile widened. "After twelve years and I finally get to see my granddaughter again."

Anthea looked up at her mom and she nodded, pushing her forward a bit. A little hesitantly, Anthea accepted the hug her grandmother offered. Everything was just so shocking. She went from being an orphan for twelve years to becoming part of a family, a biological family.

She pulled away and wiped her eyes. "Um, do I have a room? I need a minute."

Sally nodded. "I even had it redun about a year ago because Chiron told me you might want to come live with me soon."

"Sally!" Annabeth scolded. "You didn't have to do that."

"Honey, yes I did. I didn't know if you guys were coming back."

"True."

Anthea frowned. "Where is it?"

Percy answered, "Down that hallway and the first door to your right."

"Thanks." She turned around and made her way down the hallway, opening the door to her room slowly. Flipping on the light switch, she was surprised at how nice her room was. The walls were grey with white christmas lights bordering the ceiling. There was a desk and a bed pushed up against the wall and on the opposite wall there was a bookshelf full of books.

Anthea sat down on her bed and set her suitcases down on the floor. Her bottom lip warbled as she thought back on today. Twelve years on not knowing anything about her family then the dream comes. She finally found out who her parents were and why they left and they showed up! Then she moved in with them and met her grandmother.

It was so overwhelming. Anthea placed her face in her hands and cried. She's been doing that a lot today. Crying.

A small knock sounded from her door frame but she didn't look up, just kept on crying. She felt the bed sink down next to her, a sign that someone sat down. A hand was placed on to her back and rubbed in slow circled. Anthea knew it was her mom.

Her mom didn't say anything, just held her as she cried. This is what Anthea wanted for so long, for a mom to hold her tight while she cried. She never had that and she had to watch all her friend's receive that love and care from their parents.

She recalled one night, a few years ago, when she was sleeping over at Isabella's house and the power went out. Her dad, obviously got it started again with his lightning powers but it had still freaked Isabella out.

Isabella's mom, Piper, had hugged Isabella tight for ten minutes while she cried. Anthea had watched from the couch, feeling intensely jealous. At that time she thought back about all the nights she spent alone in her room, crying herself to sleep. No one was there to hold her. Yes, Isabella still had the audacity to complain about her parents all the time.

She couldn't imagine why people would want to complain about their moms. People were so lucky and all they did was complain, Anthea just didn't understand.

Now Anthea had that. She was sitting on her bed crying while her mom just held her and occasionally pressed a kiss to the top of her head, muttering that she loved her.

Once Anthea calmed down, Annabeth spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I missed you!" Anthea blurted out, still crying lightly. "I missed you both so much! Even if I didn't know you. I've wished for this so much and now I finally have it and I am eternally grateful but it's all too much! I just can't right now! Could you just not bother me right now?"

Anthea immediately felt terrible as she watched her mom flinch backwards, hurt overcoming her features. She swallowed hard, nodding. "Okay." Her mom stood and crossed her arms loosely. She turned around and walked toward the door, glancing back at her one last time before leaving.

She cursed herself. Why did she say that?

She wanted to start crying again but when she tried, nothing came out. She was more mad at herself now for being hypocritical, saying that she didn't understand how people could talk bad about their moms. But here she was practically telling her to go away!

Another knock sounded at the door and she looked up, finding her dad there. "Hey, what happened with Mom?" She would have lied if she said that her heart didn't flutter when she heard the word: mom.

"I don't know," Anthea sighed. "I freaked."

Her dad pursed his lips and sat down next to her. "Tell me what's on your mind."

She really didn't want to talk about anything but she wasn't going to make the same mistake she just did with her mom. "It's hard."

"How?"

"Being part of a family. My whole life I'd been an orphan, no parents, no siblings, not cousins, no nothing. Then today, I suddenly have a family." Anthea lifted her shoulder in a half shrug. "It's hard to take it all on."

"Okay, I understand that," He started. "But why did Mom walk out all upset?"

Anthea chewed on her bottom lip. "I said I needed a minute and then she comes in and starts trying to comfort me. It was okay until she asked if I wanted to talk. I practically told her to go away."

"I know it's hard. I get it. But it's hard for your Mom and I too." Percy smiled sadly. "We've been away from our daughter for twelve years. We missed her whole childhood. Missed her first steps, her first words, her first birthday. We missed everything."

Anthea tried really hard not to cry. She never thought about it like that. She was too busy thinking how hard this was for her but never thought about how hard this was for her parents. They were gone for twelve years and they come back, still new parents because they never got to learn.

Her mom was only trying to help and to figure out the best way to calm her down. She didn't mean to be nosy or invasive, she was just being a mother. It must also be nerve racking when your daughter starts crying and you have no idea what to do.

Percy continued, "We're both new at this. The longest we've parented was for eight months. I understand this is hard for you but it's also hard on her."

"I know," Anthea whispered and stood. "Where is she?"

"Our room. A little down the hallway more to the left." Percy stood after her and they walked out of her bedroom. They went their separate ways, her dad to the left and Anthea to the right.

Anthea didn't bother knocking. She pushed the door open and peered inside the quite large room. Her mom was laying down on her bed, clad in sweatpants and a sweatshirt. She had her eyes closed but Anthea could tell she wasn't sleeping.

"Mom," Anthea said thickly.

Annabeth opened her eyes and sat up, spotting her daughter by the door. "Yeah?" She patted the space next to her on the bed and Anthea climbed in next to her. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize how hard this is for you too."

"Oh, Honey, it's okay." She hugged Anthea quickly before standing up. "Okay, how about you go put some pajamas on and I'll put a pizza in."

Anthea nodded. "Sounds good."

Before she left the room, her mom called after her, "Anthea? Remember that I love you. So much."

Anthea grinned and blinked the tears away. "I love you too."

------

After Anthea ate dinner and watched a movie with her parents, she headed to bed. It was around ten at night and her eyes were growing heavier by the second. She wanted to sleep but at the same time she didn't. She was afraid that she'd fall asleep and wake up back in the big house.

Her body deceived her though because the second her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

Anthea had the worst nightmare she could ever have that night.

"Wake up.You're going to miss breakfast!" Anthea blinked her eyes opened and she saw the sunlight seeping through the windows. But something was different. This wasn't her room back in her parent's apartment. This was her room in the big house.

Anthea gasped and sat up in bed. "Mom?"

"What?" It wasn't her mom. It was Isabella. "Oh, did you dream again?"

"No, it wasn't a dream." Anthea's vision started to get blurry. "It was so real. My parents came back. They took me home and I finally had a family. Where are my mom and dad?"

Isabella frowned. "They're dead. Remember?"

"They're not dead!" She snapped.

"They haven't come back in twelve years, Anthea." Isabella's eyes even got a bit teary.

Anthea shook her head and began to cry. "No, I have a mom and dad. I was just with them!"

"It was a dream!" Isabella shouted. "Your parents aren't coming back."

----

Anthea shot up in bed screaming, "Mom! Dad!"

A door slammed open and she could hear footsteps running down the hallway and to her room. The door opened and the lamp that say on her bedside table was turned on. Anthea could see her parents there, staring down at her with worried expressions.

"What happened?" Her mom asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"We heard you scream for us?" Her dad questioned, sitting down on the other side of her.

Anthea couldn't form words, when she tried a strangled sob escaped and Annabeth whimpered, pulling her into another one of her infamous motherly hug. "I-I had a dream that all yesterday was just a dream. I woke up in my room at the big house and was told that you guys never came back."

Her dad wrapped his arms around her too. "We're right here. We're right here."

Annabeth sniffed and buried her face in Anthea's curls. "It's okay, baby. We're bathing her and we're not going anywhere. I promise you that this is real."

"I could punch you and you can tell me if it hurts," Her dad suggested.

"Percy, shut up," Annabeth hissed.

Anthea laughed and pulled away. "I'm scared to fall back asleep."

Annabeth scrunched her face up in thought but then she laid down on her side, her back against the wall. "Come on, lay down." Anthea listened and laid down next to her mom, throwing an arm around her. Her mom hugged her back, closing her eyes.

Percy laid down on the other side of her so Anthea was lying between them. She wasn't complaining. She felt safe between her mom and dad, like nothing could even come close to touching her with them as parents.

They fell asleep and Anthea didn't have another nightmare.

When she woke up that morning she forgot where she was. Looking to her sides, she saw her mom and dad still sleeping. Anthea then remembered and she smiled, snuggling deeper into the covers.

She didn't want to get up. Not yet.