Chapter Text
Ethan and I stopped at Commonwealth Avenue in the Back Bay neighborhood. Whoever named this place was an Annabeth-level genuis because it was just as depressing and intimidating as it sounds.
Before I went to camp, I lived in a tiny apartment above a restaurant. It's been so long that I can't even remember what kind of restaurant it was; all I recall is the delicious smell that made my tummy rumble all night. We kept the windows open almost all the time. There were many random plants growing around the house in haphazard locations. I'm not even sure my mother even knew half the names of all the random (and sometimes foreign) plants she brought home from the dollar store.
Anyway, it was small and homey and always smelled like fertilizer and spicy food. Now take that image out of your head and compare it to a massive, six-story mansion with gargoyles (I hate gargoyles. Their breath stinks.) on the roof, stained-glass windows that wouldn't look out of place with blood splattered on them, and marble front steps. It probably smelled like cigarettes, dusty picture frames, and old, dead men.
The marble wouldn't look out of place with a bit of blood on them, either.
I could literally feel Ethan having an "omigods, your rich?!" moment. Unfortunately for him, as far as my Uncle Randolph knows, me and Annabeth are missing and have no inheritance right to any of this.
And I'm still missing a dollar because of Conner Stoll. I wouldn't be in so much debt if I had that kind of uncle. The one who gives you money on your birthday. Those kids live the dream, but hey, they ain't got nothing on pickpocketing like me. I'll be stocked by the time I go back home.
Anyway, I wasn't even here to talk to my horribly rich uncle today, so I can just lounge around until she comes to see me.
"You stay back." I say, taking out a piece of metal as tiny as a key.
"Huh?" Ethan snaps back from marveling at the big house (ugh) and asks.
I frown a little, even though I know the boy can't see me because he's standing behind me. "You didn't even want to be caught up in my mess, so why bother? You won't have fun meeting a stranger."
I can feel Ethan staring at my back with a puzzled expression. "And I suppose they aren't a stranger to you?"
"Nope," I say quickly. "Go get us some tickets back to New York for us while I'm at it, will ya? This might take a while."
He is a useless nuisance to me anyway. What do I need him for? It'll all be fine. Perfectly fine.
And if Ethan is far enough away when she comes, he might even be safe. I just want him to be safe. Driving him out of here is the first step.
Because killing a demigod would weigh heavily on my conscience. Yeah, that's why. And Chiron wouldn't be happy if that happ—
You still care about what that horse says, Maggie? Why? All he ever did was teach you how to fight your father's battles. And where did trusting your father lead your mother, Maggie? Just like my mothe—
You have no right to talk about my mother like that!
But— "Magnus?"
"But—!" I clamped my mind shut.
Ethan stared at me like I was weird. "Rethinking your plan? 'But' what?"
Should I rethink my plan?
Wait… what plan are we talking about again?
I silently cursed. I made a whole speech a few days ago on what to say when I met her, but now I've forgotten all about it. Was that even considered a plan? If Annabeth were here, she'd have a two-story footnote on every situation that could happen and what to expect on a quest. I couldn't even make a two-step guide on how to talk to ————.
I clicked my tongue. "You ask too many questions, Nakamura. See you in a few hours."
I then turned around, walked up the marble steps, and started fiddling around with the lock on the big door. I heard Nakamura retreating into human civilization and stopped moving for a bit.
He didn't even say goodbye.
Wait, why would he say goodbye if we're meeting back here in a few hours? I was just being stupid and clingy. I picked up the metal piece, and the lock clicked open.
I should have trusted my gut feeling before, because when I stepped inside the mansion, I was pinned against the wall when something sharp was wrapped around my neck.
Before I was knocked unconscious, I saw two different colored eyes looking at me. They whispered, "Found you," before everything went dark.
I dreamed of my wedding with falafel. It was awesome.
