Chapter Text
The grand hall of the conference center buzzed with the soft murmur of conversation, the clinking of glasses, and the occasional burst of laughter. Glittering chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting warm light over the elegantly dressed attendees at their dinner tables.
“I bet I could shoot the lemon up there,” Bobby whispered, his eyes reflecting the chandeliers’ light.
“You’re on!” Mathew grinned.
“Boys!” Ava Chase snapped. “What did we agree on?”
Bobby and Mathew sighed and spoke, “This is a formal night with no hijinks.”
“Zero hijinks,” their mother emphasized.
“It’s the same thing,” Bobby protested. Mathew huffed and went back to picking apart his main course.
“Not with you it isn’t,” Ava said, reaching for her champagne flute.
Her husband was quiet, zoned out in his chair. He was possibly considering the practical applications of 17th century wood-working in present day carpentry or something of the sort. Ava never knew what really went on in his mind. He was the true embodiment of the absent-minded professor.
“Ah, the Chases!” someone greeted them loudly. Ava kicked Frederick’s shin and he jumped.
“Dr. Makris!” he exclaimed, standing up hurriedly. “What an honor! I was so pleased to have received your invitation for such an event. Ava, boys, this is Dr. Carla Makris, the keynote speaker herself!”
Ava stood and shook her hand. “ We’re pleased to meet you, Dr. Makris. I’m Ava Chase and these are our boys, Matthew and Robert Chase.”
Carla Makris beamed. She was tall, and in her stilettos, she towered over Frederick. She shook their hands enthusiastically.
“Wonderful, wonderful. I hope the evening has treated you well.”
“Absolutely,” Frederick said. “We ran into your team. They’re the ones overseeing a majority of the temple architecture, true?”
“Yes, they are,” Carla said. “They’re such a bright bunch. Just finished their internships and started at my company. You might think they’re too young for the responsibility, but Ms. Jackson whipped them up to shape while pursuing her PhD. I don’t know how that woman does it, but she does it!”
“I don’t think we saw her tonight. Will she be speaking?” Frederick asked.
“No, but she will be on stage to announce key details and present me. I think you can catch her and the team again after the dessert course,” Carla explained.
“Excellent. We’re looking forward to hearing you up there,” Frederick said, all smiles. “I’ve heard some intriguing rumors of ancient construction styles that your team plans to incorporate. Any chance of a spoiler?”
“Not-a-one,” Carla grinned. “But those rumors have more truth to them than you think! Oh, it’s almost time, I’ll let you get back to your dinner!”
They said their temporary goodbyes and she marched away in her pointed heels.
“Ancient construction?” Matthew sighed. “Dad, can Bobby and I just sit at the bar?”
“Of course, not!” Ava spluttered.
“We’ll get a coke, not drinks, obviously,” Bobby muttered. “The food is so uppity.”
“Pipe down and eat your dinner,” Ava spoke insistently. “We have souvlaki for god’s sake! Who complains about souvlaki these days?”
Frederick had gone back to staring vacantly.
But Ava noticed something shift. His face flickered. His eyes grew sharp. Dazed Freddy disappeared, replaced by Dr. Frederick Chase, decorated historian with a double PhD in History and Literature.
“Frederick,” she whispered, “What is it?”
“That girl… that woman with Carla. I’ve seen her before.”
Ava turned her head to get a discreet look. Onstage was a man adjusting a mic stand. Behind him, two women quietly conversed. Carla was one of them. The other was short in a sharp green suit with her stomach bulging.
Ava narrowed her eyes carefully. The short woman was Black with her Afro blooming behind a beautiful stiff hair band. Her eyes were a sharp brown and her lips were a strong dark red. Her necklace was long, almost disappearing behind her shirt buttons, but not exactly a chain. It suited her stud earrings. She moved with poise and precision.
“That must be Ms. Jackson,” Ava guessed slowly. She gulped. The woman was eerily familiar.
Matthew squinted and Bobby said, “I didn’t know we could wear shiny suits to this thing!”
Neither Ava nor Frederick could respond to that.
The man onstage left and Carla Makris stepped back to let the shorter woman take the mic.
“Good evening, esteemed guests,” she said, her voice smooth and collected. “I’m Annabeth Jackson, assistant lead architect of the Vrettos Committee. I’m proud to present…”
Her words faded. Ava couldn’t believe it.
That was Annabeth.
Frederick was just as gobsmacked.
Matthew and Bobby were shoveling the souvlaki into their mouths.
“Fred…” Ava whispered, terrified. “... did you know…”
He shook his head numbly.
“... do you think she knows we’re here?”
Frederick observed Annabeth closely. She was in an excellent mood, confident with her words, and eager to introduce her mentor Dr. Makris to the waiting crowd.
He didn’t know if Annabeth knew about them. The last Frederick had heard from her was less than a year after she’d run away. A director named Chiron had phoned him from Long Island informing him that Annabeth was at Camp Half-Blood, a place where demigods could live safely.
Frederick had asked to speak to her and heard Chiron’s voice gently asking Annabeth. But she’d said a vehement ‘NO’ and Frederick had heard it as it pierced his heart.
In the following years, he waited for Annabeth to call them. She never did. He figured she was just happy there, in a way she’d never been with them.
She was 25 now. Flourishing, successful, career-driven, and…
Frederick's eyes left Annabeth’s face. Now they lingered on her belly. His heart swooped.
“How… how far along do you think she is?” he whispered to Ava. “Three months?”
“Huh?” Ava said, frowning. “I don’t think she’s pregnant? Or… she could be, I suppose. Some people wear it differently.”
Frederick swallowed tightly. Carla had said she’d been working on her PhD as well as conducting the team through a pioneering construction of a temple building. And she might be pregnant?
“No ring,” Ava added.
“Huh?”
“I don’t see a ring on her,” Ava said, her voice even softer now.
Frederick nodded. Twenty-five was too young for such big decisions, especially for Annabeth. He was having trouble reconciling this young successful woman with his tiny seven-year-old daughter who had run away from home, never to brighten his doorway again.
“... without further ado, let’s give Dr. Makris a warm welcome!” Annabeth cheered and the audience clapped with gusto.
Carla stepped forward and started with an architecture joke. The listeners chuckled. The screen behind her lit up and began a slideshow. She spoke impeccably, but the words went over Frederick's head as he continued to stare at Annabeth who was half hidden in the shadows of the wings.
After a few minutes of it, Annabeth finally stared back.
She’s been avoiding me all night, Frederick realized. There was no surprise or shock in her eyes. Her gaze was steady and unflinching. She observed Frederick, then Ava, and then the boys. Then she glanced over at another table and didn’t meet his eyes again for the rest of Carla’s presentation.
He used to call once a few months. But Chiron had always told him Annabeth was busy. Once, a boy named Luke had taken the call and had firmly told Frederick that she wasn’t interested in reconnecting.
He tried to call a few more times, but Chiron, sounding just as contrite as him, admitted that she simply would not take the phone.
Frederick hadn’t called in more than two years.
Annabeth never tried to reach out.
That should have explained everything, right?
“You should talk to her,” Ava whispered.
Frederick gawked. “Of course, not! She’s avoided me for years, Ava!”
“Just say hello,” Ava pleaded. “You’ll regret it, I know you will!”
“And what if she doesn’t want to speak?”
“Then…” Ava struggled. “Just tell her that we’re ready to meet if she is. Maybe she just needs time.”
“Who ah ya talkin’ abo’?” Bobby asked, finishing his plate.
Ava was distracted enough that she didn’t chastise him for speaking with a full mouth.
Frederick hesitated.
“She won’t want me to approach her,” Ava said regretfully. “But you can just tell her a quick hello. And apologize and be straightforward on how she can contact us—”
“Seriously, who’s contacting us?” Matthew interrupted.
“Pip down, boys,” Frederick said wearily. “We haven’t spoken in years, Ava. Do you think she’ll listen?”
Ava grimaced. “I think it’ll be worse if you don’t even try.”
He couldn’t refute that.
Carla’s presentation would have been riveting any other night. Frederick simply couldn’t concentrate right now.
By some miracle, Annabeth disappeared from the stage and reappeared to the side, out of everyone’s sight. Frederick caught her walking toward one of the immense balconies.
Ava’s eyes were wide. “Now’s your chance!”
Matthew and Bobby were disgruntled. They began voicing their displeasure and curiosity. Ava shushed them and Frederick whispered, “Do you remember Annabeth?”
Matthew frowned. Bobby chewed the inside of his cheek, a habit they couldn’t stop.
“Like… Anna?” Bobby finally said. “She ran away, right?”
Matthew stifled a gasp. His head swiveled to stare at the stage and then everywhere else.
“That chick was Annabeth?!”
“Matthew!” Ava hissed. “Language! That’s no way to talk about a lady!”
“She’s pregnant?” Bobby whispered, wide-eyed. “Like… with a kid!”
Frederick finally stood up. “I’ll go.”
“Be careful,” Ava said hurriedly. “Don’t corner her or, or, or demand answers.”
“Can we come?” Bobby asked, eagerly.
“No,” Ava told them and Frederick echoed, “Not right now, boys. We’ll see if she’s okay to talk.”
Matthew scowled. “I doubt it. She never took your calls, Dad. I think she made it super clear.”
Ava didn’t scold him. She just looked resigned.
Frederick set his chair back into the table and walked away. His head swirled with unfettered thoughts and vivid scenes from the past.
Carla would be disappointed I’m leaving.
Is she permanently living in New York now?
She hadn’t even packed any clothes.
The fully-stocked pantry was discovered empty.
Vrettos Committee employed Ancient Greek experts.
The hammer from the closet tool box was forever lost.
It must be cold on the balcony.
It was.
As cold as her eyes.