You haven't had a nightmare about your mortal parent in... forever.

And right when you were beginning to hope they wouldn't come back.

See, your mortal dad was probably the most strict, unfeeling, rageous person ever. Perhaps he was once a good man when your mother was still with him, but after she left him alone with you all that was over. He drank, hit you, beat you, all the above.

Then you ran away when you were eight, a satyr found you on the way, and you came to Camp Half-Blood. An apparent oppertunity to leave everything behind and forget about your father.

You've always wondered how Tyche could've ever fallen in love with such a bitch.

Anyhow, you needed comfort. Who could you go to?

After little to no thinking, the answer was clear, the name that was on your mind throughout the entire day; Annabeth Chase.

But... you couldn't just go to her in the middle of the night. It was way past curfew, everyone was asleep. The harpies would probably eat you alive if they saw you outside.

You glanced at the clock on the wall. 1:42 AM.

It's worth a try, right?

Suprisingly, no one woke up when you slipped into the Athena cabin and quietly closed the door behind you. Your gaze fell on one of the beds a few steps away and you saw a familiar head with sandy curls, and you couldn't help your face heating up a little. You've never seen Annabeth with her hair loose before, since she always tied it up.

Moving to her bed, you sat on the edge and shook her shoulder gently. "Pst, Annabeth."

"Hmm?" Annabeth turned to lie on her back and opened her eyes ever so slightly to reveal that stormy gaze that you loved so much. She squinted at you.

"Y/N, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in your cabin."

You sighed, brushing a strand of hair out your face. "I know... but, I had a nightmare."

That silenced the daughter of Athena. Quick to jump to action, she sat up and pulled you closer by the wrist.

"Come here" She ushered. Annabeth wrapped her arms around you, her chin tucked into your hair while your head laid on her collarbone. She lowered herself a bit so you'd lay more comfortable, then draped the blanket over the both of you.

"Thanks, Annie." The words fell so easily from your lips, yet they made Annabeth shiver slightly. She usually hated that nickname. It annoyed the heck out of her when Percy, Clarisse, her siblings, or anyone for that matter used it. But when you said it, it was okay.

She was silent for a while, hesitant. "It was... it was about your dad, right?"

"Yeah." You squeezed your eyes shut, surpressing a sob.

Annabeth sighs quietly, holding you even closer. She hated seeing you upset. She wanted nothing more than to see you smile and have you be safe.

"It's okay, you're okay. I'm here now." She mumbled, running a hand through your hair soothingly. "He can't hurt you anymore, I'll protect you."

(The other inhabitants of the Athena cabin did infact snap a few shots of Y/N and Annabeth for blackmail once they awoke in the morning.)