Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad

Friday afternoon

"Piper!" I smiled as I hugged my friend. I had just arrived at Great Aunt Aphrodite's house...or should I say Mansion? I instantly noted the interior. Lush, marble with towering arches that were laced with chandeliers. It was magnificent.

"I'm so glad you're here Anna! We're going to have the best time!" Piper shrieked.

"I still can't believe we're related!!" I answered in response. We found out just yesterday that we were distant cousins. And that was one of the best phone calls I've ever received.

"Indeed," Great Aunt Aphrodite said, popping out from who knows where. "So lovely to have you with us Annabeth! Piper tells me both of you spend time together regularly. How Lovely!''

"Piper and the gang come to my bookstore after school every day. So yeah, we're quite close" I smiled, wrapping my arm around Piper's shoulder.

Aphrodite gave me a look, "The Bookstore..yes. Your mother did throw away quite the fortune on it"

My face fell. She seemed to have noticed.

"Anyways! Athena was so passionate about it! Good to see you keep it up well" she said quickly. Aphrodite then turned around, motioning a girl to come forward.

The girl practically catwalked towards her. She was beautiful, there was no denying it. But her beauty came from makeup and a bitchy smile. She gave off an 'I'm better than you' vibe as she stood tall, wearing lots of jewelry on her simple outfit. I turned to Piper, who was looking at her feet. They were total opposites. Piper wore her beauty well, with a kind smile. But this girl on the other hand gave me no good vibes.

"This is you're other cousin Drew, my oldest. You are probably not well acquainted with her but she's in charge while I'm gone. If you need money or anything, ask her, Annabeth dear. She'll give it to you. I'm not home often, so she's partially in charge"

I watched the girl smirk. She had a punchable face.

"Anyhoo, I'm going off for the weekend! Paris! There's a great fashion show there and I hope to get inspired for my new makeup line!! Pearl Beauty" With that being said, Aunt Aphrodite walked out, Drew walking out behind her.

"Let me show you your room" Piper grinned as she helped me roll my suitcase. She led me up a flight of stairs and stopped at the one at the edge of the corridor.

I've been to Piper's house once or twice. Mainly cause the gang came over for movie nights. And I would stop by for a while.

I'd never seen that much of her place before so I was still awed by it.

She pointed to it," this is your room" she said. She then turned around and pointed to the room parallel to it, "this is mine"

I nodded and pushed the door open. I gasped. It was gorgeous. I slowly walked around the room, taking it all in. It was huge, beautiful, and had oddly familiar energy.

Piper smirked at my reaction, "You know" she said, as she helped me unpack. "This used to be your mother's room from when she used to stay with my mom"

I smiled, "really?" I asked turning towards her. Now I understood why it felt so homey.

Piper nodded, "yeah mom told me the other day. She never got around to clearing it out or changing the design, she said it was too much of a hassle. But, I think it's because she loved your mom a lot" She then walked over to one of the drawers and pulled it open, a few dust particles danced out, but Piper waved them away. "See! some of your mom's stuff is still here"

"I always wondered who it belonged to, but mom always said that it was someone close to her heart and left it at that," she mused, "and then told me not to touch anything. So no one but the maid is allowed in here."

I walked to the drawer and peered into it. Sure enough, there was a laptop and a coin in it.

I turned around and hugged Piper, "thanks Pipes"

She chuckled and pulled away from me, rolling her eyes. "I'll let you get to it then," she said as she exited the room, "see you at lunch" she yelled.

I picked up the coin from the drawer and wiped the dust off of it. It silver etched with an owl on one side and the phrase, 'Athena Always Wins' on the other. I carefully put it back in the drawer and took out the laptop.

I turned it on.....but of course! There was no battery! It had been years since my mom stayed with her aunt.

Mom had come to stay with her Aunt Aphrodite at the age of 10. She stayed with her for 8 years, until she eventually got married and left. Aphrodite was a successful 26-year-old beauty mogul when my mother came and stayed with her, after her parent's died in a car crash, she took her in.

I knew my mom wanted to be an architect. But after having my brother Malcolm, she decided against it, instead choosing to open the bookstore with her parent's fortune.

I dug around the room, opening a few more drawer's until I came upon the laptop charger. I placed the laptop to charge on my bed and went back to unpacking.

After unpacking my toiletries, I moved onto my clothes. I opened what looked like a closet and inhaled sharply. It was full of clothes. My mother's clothes.

I felt a few tears escape my eyes and smiled widely. I never had so many things of my mother's! The only things I had left of hers were her owl jewelry and the Yankee's cap she gave me on my second birthday. My dad had sold most of her stuff after she died, he couldn't bear to look at them.

Another thing my mother left me and my brother, was a shit ton of cash we would receive on our 18th birthday's. Malcolm, after getting his share of mother's fortune left the country. I, on the other hand, had to still wait another year to get it. I was 17.

I checked out some of the shirts. They were amazing! The closet was filled with fancy dresses, shirts, jeans, and everything was in my style!

I glanced at my pile of clothes on the bed. They were old, the last time I went shopping was 3 years ago, mainly buying plain oversized shirts so I didn't have to spend any more money on clothes. That was all I had and some leggings.

I unpacked my shirts into the bottom shelf of my closet and grinned. Surely mom wouldn't mind me using her clothes...not like she needed them now anyway.

I quickly unpacked the rest of my things,mainly trinkets and assorted knick knacks. I heard a chime from the laptop and sprinted towards it. It was finally charged.

I opened it up. Suprisingly there was no password, lucky me. I browsed through the laptop carefully. There were some of my mom's blueprints, pictures of her, stories of Greek mythology that she downloaded, her ideas for the bookstore.

I got lost in my mother's world, pouring over her architectural designs and pictures. It felt as I was having a secret conversation with her, sharing all her memories and thoughts.

I was rudely interrupted by a bang on the door, before I could answer it, Piper burst in.

"Annabeth!" she yelled.

I looked up at her from my position on the bed, not moving. "what?'' I asked.

"It's dinner time" she said, looking around the room slowly.

"what about lunch?" I asked her, only then did I hear my stomach rumble with curiosity as well.

"We had lunch hours ago! I knocked a gazillion times but you didn't answer" she said quickly. "I dashed in here cause I thought you died or something" she said, moving her arms around rapidly. Her eyes fell on the laptop in front of me. She gave me a small smile, "having fun?" she asked. I nodded.

"Good now go change!" she commanded. "you look like a mess" she left the room, banging my door on the was out.

I sighed, returning the laptop to it's former drawer,  I got dressed. I picked a white blouse from my mother's clothes and paired it with some jeans after a quick shower.

I walked downstairs, eventually finding my way to the massive dining hall.

"Annabeth! glad you can make it" Great Aunt Aphrodite greeted with a smile, '' what kept you from dinner'' she asked.

"The room was filled with so many of my mother's things! It was hard for me to pry myself away from them" I answered as I sat down, helping myself to some dinner.

"That room was your mother's sanctuary" she smiled."decorated it herself, she did. Always had an eye for such things. She would have made a wonderful architect''

I nodded as she continued, "I can see you've been through her closet as well" she said with a glint in her eye.

"I hope you don't mind me wearing them," I said, a blush creeping its way onto my cheeks.

Great Aunt Aphrodite laughed, "Nonsense Annabeth! Of course, you can wear them! They're all yours now"

I thanked her and continued eating my food. She spoke again, "I can recognize that pendant anywhere" she beamed, "I got it made as a wedding gift for Athena" Her eyes fell upon my other neck accessory. '' what's the other thing around your neck?" she asked.

My hand instinctively went around my bead necklace. "It was something we made in summer camp" I smiled. Great Aunt Aphrodite shrugged and ate. The necklace meant a lot to me. I made one alongside my best friend, both of us vowed to never take it off. That was the last thing I said to him before I left.

Across the table, Drew wrinkled her nose in disdain. I shot her a glare.

After dinner, I was heading back to my room but was stopped by Aphrodite on the way.

"Yes, Great Aunt Aphrodite?" I asked her.

"Call me Aphrodite," she said, "you're a lot like your mother" she smiled as she bid me goodbye before her Paris trip.

I returned to my room and lied down. The silence felt alien. I was used to having two little boys snoring in my bed. I turned to my side, idly playing with my clay necklace. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad, I thought as I closed my eyes and let sleep take me to a far off-world.