I am so sorry that my updates are so slow, you guys!! I'm really trying to work things out here, but thank you for the support and patience!!

Sunday, August 19th
6:15 pm - Thalia's bedroom

"I haven't heard from Luke all week. Not since you socked him in the face." Annabeth stared up at the ceiling. She really was beginning to worry. What if he had just left? It was already late, so it was plausible. Annabeth didn't know if she could handle anymore knives to her heart.

"Hey, he deserved that," Thalia insisted.

"He did," Annabeth admitted. "But still. Thalia, what if he just went? Just like that, without even saying goodbye?" She looked at Thalia with furrowed eyebrows and concern in her eyes.

Thalia sighed. "If you really wanna be sure, let's go visit May," she suggested. They had already checked his apartment, and he hadn't been home.

Oh god. Annabeth hadn't seen May Castellan in months. She felt awful about it, but she had just never had the time. Between being student body president and captain of the volleyball team, all while auditioning for school plays and keeping up with her grades, it just wasn't something that had crossed her mind, though she was sorry to say. Also, Luke had never wanted to hang out at his house in the recent years—it was always either hers or Thalia's. Annabeth considered going to see her.

"And tell her about the baby? Thalia I don't think that's a good idea," Annabeth said, unsure of it.

"We don't have to mention the baby. Just ask about Luke." Thalia got up off her bed. "Besides, we should go see her anyways. It's been a while, and I don't imagine she gets much company." Thalia was right. Annabeth got out of Thalia's desk chair and joined her in putting on her shoes.

"We'll be fine," Thalia reassured her. "Come on."

~*~

Sunday, August 19th
6:45 pm - The Castellan's front doorstep

Annabeth had visited May Castellan many times before, but she had never been as shaky as she was now. Her palms were sweaty and the sun, although lower in the sky, beating down on her didn't help. She didn't know why she was so nervous.

It's because you don't want to face the truth.

Annabeth was scared. She wanted to walk inside and find Luke, ready to talk. But if Luke was in there, she had no idea what she was going to say. She was afraid that he'd be gone, but also afraid to confront him.

She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, May opened the door with a bright smile. She was a younger woman, having Luke at only 19 after an affair. However, that fact had never affected the love and friendship between all four of them.

Despite Ms. Castellan's young age, her hair was still streaked with grey, and smile lines shown around her eyes, which were an even paler blue than Luke's.

"Annabeth, Thalia!" May exclaimed, wrapping both girls in a tight hug.

"Hi, May," Annabeth grinned after pulling away, Thalia smiling behind her. May led the two girls inside to the kitchen, where what she saw made her heart ache.

Stacked up on the counters were piles and piles of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Annabeth remembered how Luke would always eat those when they were kids. They would play in the back yard before coming inside for a sandwich, cookies, and juice.

Suddenly, the oven dinged, catching Annabeth's attention. She spotted the mountain of cookies. May went over, pulling out a tray of them. "You can take a seat, and I'll bring you a sandwich." May smiled at the girls.

"Okay," Annabeth figured it'd be rude to refuse, after she'd made so many for someone who was never going to eat them. She and Thalia went to go sit at the small table in the corner of the room, next to a window. The Castellan residence was dingy and small, but used to have such a feeling of home. Somehow, Annabeth had felt that feeling fade since they were children.

Annabeth and Thalia took a look around, taking in the small, messy space. Over on the couch, which was older than she was, Annabeth saw clothes and newspapers thrown askew. The shag carpet was riddled with water bottles and soda cans and a few stains she couldn't identify. At the corners of the ceiling, mold spotted the off-white walls.

Thalia gave Annabeth a look. She nodded. Her heart ached for May. She knew that her mental health had never been great, but it only seemed to have gotten worse.

Luke had moved out about a year ago, after he and his mother had gotten into an argument. At first, he had lived with Annabeth for a while, Frederick being happy to help him. But soon he found his own place—a grungy apartment that he could just afford, which was in the bad part of town.

Annabeth hated his new living arrangement. His roommate was awful, and the people around the area scared her. When she had asked him why he was so insistent on moving out, he claimed that he "needed a break from home." At the time, Annabeth, of course, was aware of May's mental illness, and she feared that it would get worse if he left—she had been right.

She had begged Luke to stay, but he was too stubborn. Annabeth, in the beginning, visited May as much as she could, giving her updates on Luke. She saw the happiness, yet also the pain behind her eyes when they talked of him. Annabeth did her best to distract her from it. Eventually, she came less and less; she could barely find the time.

A hand placed a dish with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and two cookies in front of her. May say down in the chair to Annabeth's right.

"So, how have you girls been?" She asked, fidgeting with an old, worn place mat that sat on the scratched, wooden table. Luke had definitely gotten his ADHD from his mother.

"We've been good," Thalia answered, Annabeth biting into her sandwich. She had to admit, it was delicious, and it reminded her of simpler times. She also couldn't help but thinking how much of a lie Thalia just said was.

"How about you?" Thalia asked. "Have things been good here?" Annabeth's leg bobbed up and down with anticipation.

"It's been good. A bit quiet when Luke isn't around, though." A sad looked crossed her face. Annabeth had been angry at Luke for leaving his mother like this. But at the same time, she understood why. It was a lot to handle, especially for a kid with their plate as full as Luke's.

"Do you know how he's been?" Suddenly, May's face lit up. It was almost funny; just as May's mood went up, Annabeth's went down. Annabeth quickly tried to get the hopeless expression off her face.

Luke really left. He left without saying goodbye, not even to his own mother. Annabeth fought back tears. She pushed her plate away, her small appetite suddenly gone.

Thalia quickly realized this, and began talking so that Annabeth wouldn't have to. "We actually haven't heard from him," Thalia said uncertainly. She glanced at Annabeth. Did they tell May about Luke's college? They had to. It would be cruel to leave her in the dark. Annabeth braced herself.

"I..." The words caught in her throat. She swallowed. "I think he went to college in California." Annabeth didn't meet May's eyes; she couldn't.

"Oh." May blinked. A frown adorned her face.

"I'm so sorry." Annabeth's voice was only slightly louder than a whisper. She really hated how Luke kept getting her into one mess after another. "Are you alright?" She placed a hand on May's arm, a subtle gesture showing her concern. Thalia's eyebrows furrowed and her mouth pressed into a thin line.

"He left?" She seemed confused. "But he didn't even say goodbye to me." She looked so broken. Annabeth swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I know. He didn't say goodbye to us either." She struggled to keep her voice from cracking. They sat in silence for a while, both girls with sympathetic expressions and May looking more forlorn than they had ever seen.

She debated on whether she should tell May about the pregnancy or not. On one hand, Annabeth had known May almost her entire life, and technically, it was her grandchild. But on the other hand, Annabeth didn't know if she wanted to keep Luke so close to her anymore, which included May. Part of Annabeth hated that, but she also felt it might be for the best. She made her decision.

"I think I'm going to go lie down." May stood from the table, a distant, detached look in her eyes. Annabeth said nothing, simply nodding.

The girls showed themselves out. Once they were finally in the car, Annabeth broke down.

"I know," Thalia whispered, pulling Annabeth into a hug. Annabeth sobbed and sobbed. She couldn't believe that Luke had just left. How could he do that to her? To everyone?

She came to a realization. Maybe it was better that Luke had left now, instead of later, when she would need him even more. Annabeth felt so much anger and pain. She hated that Luke had done this. But she didn't hate him. She couldn't bring herself to.

"How could he do that, Thalia?" Annabeth sobbed.

"I don't know, Annie. I don't know." Thalia sighed.

Annabeth found that she was blaming herself. What had she done to drive him away? To make him leave without even saying goodbye? She racked her brain of everything that had gone on, but it was like sifting through a stack of papers that had been thrown to the floor. Her mind was a mess. And yet, through all of this, it had boiled down to one question.

"What did I do wrong?" Annabeth cried. "What did I do wrong?"

•••