Chapter Text
~ One Year Earlier ~
Annabeth was having a terrible day. She’d woken up nauseous and hadn’t been able to shake the feeling. Then her flight home had been cancelled, and now she was stuck on a two-day road trip with her co-worker, who insisted on listening to nothing but the top-40 station while he drove.
“C’mon, Annabeth, it’s a classic!” Leo called over the music.
“It isn’t!” She shouted back. “It can’t be a classic; it came out six months ago.” She leaned forward to change the channel, but Leo slapped her hand away.
“Eh, eh.” He wagged his finger at her jokingly. “The driver chooses the music.”
She leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes, and breathed through her nose, trying to silence the voice of whatever ‘pop icon’ he was singing along to. Her internal complaints were silenced all at once when another wave of nausea washed over her. All of a sudden, she was sure she was going to be sick.
“Pull over.” She choked, feeling her face flush.
“Why?”
“Leo, I'm going to be sick. You need to pull over.” Frightened, he jerked the wheel to the side. She had just enough time to wrench the door open before she was emptying the contents of her stomach into the dirt, completely miserable with Leo’s eyes on the back of her head.
“Uh…you okay?” He asked, nervously racing forward to pat her shoulder.
“Mhm,” she groaned, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Peachy.”
“I didn’t know you got carsick.”
She straightened up, feeling a thousand times better, even with the radio still droning in the background. “Yeah, it’s a new thing.”
“Well, just tell me if you’re gonna do it again.” He said, giving her a strange look as she got re-buckled. “I can’t afford whatever huge-ass cleaning bill they’ll stick me with if you puke in here.”
She rolled her eyes, settling back in the seat as he restarted the car. “How’s Callie?” She asked, knowing that if she didn’t change the subject quickly, they’d spend the next hour talking about her puking habits. As much time as she spent working with Leo, they rarely had time to talk about their personal lives, rushing to meet deadlines and scrambling around client requests.
“She’s good. Sick of me being in California all the time.” He chuckled. “This project has been awesome, but I don’t know…I think I’ll be glad when it’s over.”
“Oh, I’m sure. I feel the same way.” She sighed, sinking further back in her seat. “I did it for my resume, but I didn’t realize how much I’d have to be gone. I feel like I’m missing too much with Chase.”
“Yeah, I guessed as much.” Leo frowned. “Probably way harder with a kid.”
“It definitely isn’t easy.” She agreed, thinking of Chase and his Superman pajamas. She didn’t think she’d take another job with so much travelling, at least not until he was older. Then again, things were about to change again for her, so she doubted she’d take anything outside of the city for a long time. “But it’s okay. I needed this job. Closest thing to a ‘big break’ I’ve gotten.”
“Oh yeah. Though I’ve already found a pretty good way to spend my signing money.”
She raised her eyebrows. She’d been to Leo’s apartment back in New York, and knew that wasn’t what he was talking about. He’d obviously gone for practicality over comfort, if the camping chairs in his living room were any indication. Annabeth had spent a big chunk of her bonus on paying off her student debt, and the rest in savings, besides a celebratory dinner she and Percy had gone on. He grinned at her impishly. “Wanna see something cool?”
She rolled her eyes. “Only if it’s actually cool.”
His smile only widened. “Check my backpack. Front pocket.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
“I swear to god, if you’re messing with me…” Slowly, she unzipped the pocket, reaching inside and pulling out a little black box. Slackjawed, she turned to Leo. “Seriously?”
“Open it,” he told her, grinning.
She snapped open the lid without having to be told twice. Just as she expected, inside, nestled between the black velvet cushions, was a simple but elegant diamond ring, a single stone set on a silver band. “Oh my god, Leo, it's gorgeous!” She exclaimed. “When are you proposing?”
“I don’t know,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Probably when the project ends, unless the time presents itself. I’ve been carrying it around like an idiot since I bought it, waiting for the right time.”
She couldn’t help herself. “And you thought the right moment could’ve been on this trip that she isn’t on?”
He rolled his eyes. “Ha ha, super funny. Callie’s like a bloodhound with this shit. I swear she’d onto me, and I know she’s been going through my underwear drawer while I’m away.”
“Mm,” Annabeth hummed, thinking back to when Percy had proposed to her. It hadn’t been fancy. Three days before Chase’s first birthday, he’d decided that it was ridiculous that they’d had a baby and still weren’t engaged. He’d gotten his grandmother's ring, and presented her with it over their takeout dinner in the two second window when Chase wasn’t fussing or demanding their attention. Three weeks later, they signed the paperwork at the courthouse, and that was that. She wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Well, congratulations.” She smiled. “Seriously, that’s awesome, Leo.”
“I know.” He nodded, “And thank you. I made reservations for Friday at our favorite restaurant, I might do it there.”
“Well, be sure to call me if you do.” She said, “If we’re back by then.”
“We will be.” He promised.
They drove for the rest of the day, only stopping a few times to use the bathroom and get crappy food from the gas station. The car was in mediocre shape at best, making a concerning noise that worried her every time they turned it on. They were out of the city, in a long stretch of desert that made Annabeth long to be back in New York.
She took a turn driving in the afternoon, but after a few long hours, her eyes felt heavy, and she handed the wheel back to Leo, who, after a large gas station cola, was more than happy to oblige, especially since he got to change the radio again.
It wasn’t until 11 PM that they pulled over for the night, deciding that they could take a break and get back on the road early in the morning. Leo pulled into a motel parking lot. The sign was missing some of the bulbs, and there were only a few cars in the parking lot.
“Hm,” Leo hummed, putting the car in park. “This looked a lot nicer online.”
“Those photos were probably from the sixties,” Annabeth said, moving to unbuckle. “It’s the only one, though.” She was so tired from their long day of driving that she was pretty sure she’d be able to sleep anywhere.
Leo nodded, hopping out of the car and opening the back door, pulling out both of their suitcases. “Alright, Bethy,” he grinned, knowing it would grate on her. “One room or two?”
She rolled her eyes. “I think you know the answer to that.”
“Awe c’mon,” he teased. “I don’t think Percy would kill me for saving y'all a few bucks.”
“Maybe not.” She shrugged. “Callie might, though.”
“Touche,” he chuckled, offering her a bag handle while they walked to the doors, which slid open with a long squeak.
Annabeth marched to the front desk, where a man was already standing, his uniform rumpled. When she came up, he didn’t even look up, dark half-moons under his eyes. “Sir?” She asked.
He still didn’t look up. “Sir?” She tried again, louder. He jumped up as if she’d startled him.
“Oh,” he chirped, holding his chest. “Sorry.” He shook his head, and his hands twitched on the table. Annabeth took a step back.
“How many rooms?”
“Two,” Leo said, sliding his card across the counter before Annabeth could stop him. “Just one night. We’re leaving early.”
The man nodded jerkily, typing something into his computer.
“Okay.” He nodded, passing them the room keys.
“Uh-“ Leo said. “I didn’t pay.”
“Oh.” The man swallowed. “Right. Sorry.”
“All good, man.”
Annabeth looked between them as the worker rang them up, letting Leo walk her to the elevator when they finally paid
“That was so weird.” She muttered, pressing the elevator button with her knuckle.
“Yeah, he had to be on something,” Leo whispered back, bouncing on his toes in the elevator as the doors slid open. “I’ll see you in the morning. I was thinking we should head out of here at six.”
She dreaded getting up that early, but more than that, dreaded being away from home for any longer than she needed to. “Okay, sure.” She nodded. “That’s fine.”
“Cool,” Leo nodded, approaching his door. “Maybe deadbolt the door. That dude gave me the creeps.”
“I’m already one step ahead of you,” Annabeth said, unlocking the door. “Goodnight.”
“Sleep tight.”
Annabeth chuckled, letting the door close behind her and sliding the lock over. The room wasn’t as bad as she thought it might be: a queen bed with a dated orange bedspread, and a dull lamp lighting up the corner. She sighed and ran her hand down her face, trudging towards the bathroom and pulling her sleepclothes out of her suitcase.
She turned the knob of the shower on. It screeched, taking a second for the water to come streaming out of the showerhead. Thankfully, at least it was warm.
Relieved, she stepped out of her work pants and her button-down blouse, letting them fall to the floor. She’d have to rewear them tomorrow, but couldn’t work up the energy to fold and put them away.
She took her time in the shower, relishing the way the hot water soothed her. It wasn’t as good as her shower back home, but it did the trick. She dried off quickly, trying not to think of the type of clientele who’d probably used the same towel before, kicking it under the sink when she was finished with it, disgusted by the thought.
She scrolled through her camera roll while she brushed her teeth, sorting photos into an album to have printed for Chase’s birthday. She nearly cried when she went years back in the album, to when her little boy was small enough to fit in the crook of her arm. She really did have to wipe a few tears when she got to his hospital pictures, 7 lbs 7 oz of pure perfection, bundled in a tiny blue onesie.
“Okay,” she said to herself. “That’s enough of that for tonight.”
She tried calling Percy once she crawled into bed, but it didn’t go through. Probably bad service wherever they were, and the wifi at the shitty motel wasn’t working.
Sighing, she rolled over and flicked off the lamp, glad to know that there would only be a few more days until she was back home.
The next morning, Annabeth woke up to loud knocking on her door.
Groggily, she rolled over, tapping the dark screen on her phone. When it stayed dark, she cursed herself. She must not have checked that the outlet had been working before she went to bed the night before.
She swung her feet over the bedside, cringing at the way they felt on the rough hotel carpet, peeping though the door, met with Leo’s impish grin on the other side. Like he knew she was watching, he held up two cardboard coffee cups to the peephole, shaking them enticingly. She rolled her eyes, but undid the deadbolt, opening the door for him.
He breezed in, passing her one of the cups, and sitting on the foot over her bed. “Wow, Mrs. Jackson. Nice place you got here.”
“Oh I’m sure.” She said, rolling her eyes. She tried to flick the lamp on, but it didn’t work.
“Don’t bother.” Leo huffed. “Power’s out.”
“Seriously?” At least that explained why her phone wasn’t working.
“Oh yeah. The whole place is just a piece of shit. We were supposed to get free breakfast, too, but I went down this morning, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. It’s like the whole place is a ghost town.”
“Well, someone at least made coffee,” Annabeth noted, putting her cup down on the side table. It really was torture that she wasn’t able to drink it.
“Wrong,” Leo said, taking a long sip. “This shit’s lukewarm as all get out. Probably leftovers from last night.”
“Ew,” Annabeth said, padding to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
“Yeah, ew is right.” Leo agreed. “But ew is gonna get us home faster, so I’m cool with it.”
“How fast are you thinking?” She asked, pausing her brushing.
“Tomorrow, maybe? I don’t know about you, but I slept like shit. I’m not too keen on another motel night.”
In all honesty, she’d slept pretty well. Then again, she was so exhausted that she probably would’ve slept soundly on a bed of nails. “Well, we’re in for a long haul, then.”
“Yeah, which is why some breakfast would’ve been nice.”
“Based on accommodations so far, I have a feeling breakfast would’ve been pretty nasty,” Annabeth said from the other side of the door, picking up her wrinkled blouse and pants from the floor, putting them back on, and piling her hair on top of her head.
They looked ridiculous, she thought, once they made it into the elevator with their day-old traveled-in work clothes, wearily tugging their suitcases down the hall.
The lift jolted to an uneasy stop,
“Hold up, I’m gonna grab another cup of coffee.”
“Here,” Annabeth said, holding hers out. “You can have mine.”
“No,” Leo argued, making a beeline for the coffee pot. “You need that.”
Annabeth looked around. Leo was right. The entire hotel just seemed deserted. “Seriously, you can have it. I’m not gonna drink it.”
“What?” He laughed, taking another cardboard cup from the stack they had set out. “Are you too good for hotel coffee now?”
“No, I just don’t want it this morning,” she grumbled, while he pressed the silver lever at the top. The spout sputtered, but nothing came out.
“Goddamnit.” Leo sighed. “Is the front desk guy here? I’d really love some more before we get started.”
Annabeth could see a man in the hotel uniform sitting in the closet. He was sitting on an unopened cardboard box, head in his hands while his shoulders shook.
“Excuse me?” Annabeth asked warily. She was ready to get out of the shithole of a hotel and get back on the road. “Sorry to bother you, but my friend was wondering if there was any way we could get more coffee?” The man twitched. Annabeth took a step back. “It’s okay if not. I’m just gonna leave our keys here, and we can–”
Abruptly, the man stood up.
Annabeth felt her stomach tighten as she got a good look at him, stepping back. He towered over her, skin an odd shade- between green and paper white- as if he were cartoonishly ill. “Sir?” She asked. By then, Leo had come up behind her. The man didn’t say a word, just stared at her with red-rimmed eyes.
Leo gently grabbed her elbow. “Let’s go,” he murmured, pulling her back slightly. She couldn’t agree more.
They rushed out the door. The worker still didn’t move, lazily watching them as they left. “That was so weird.” Annabeth lamented, getting deja vu from the night before.
“I didn’t like the way he looked at us,” Leo said. “God, I'm ready to get back.”
“You and I both.” She murmured, looking at the few remaining snacks from the day before, her stomach grumbling.
They drove longer, each hour seeming to crawl by when the car skipped a beat, a strange noise coming from the engine. “What’s going on?” Annabeth asked, looking at Leo as he struggled to regain control over the shaking wheel.
“Fuck!” Leo shouted, running a hand through his hair while the car engine sputtered to a stop. “Fucking–fuck. This is such bullshit.”
Annabeth watched smoke rise from the hood of the car. “I think we should–”
“I swear to fuck–”
“Leo.” She snapped. “Get out of the car.”
“Annabeth-“
“Get out.” She insisted. “I think we both need some air.”
Begrudgingly, he stepped out of the car, letting the door slam behind him. Annabeth followed suit, rubbing her temples to try to get rid of the headache that had sprouted behind her eyes.
He lit a cigarette, and Annabeth felt her stomach flip. “Leo, please,” she groaned.
“What?” He asked, exhaling, rolling his sleeves up. He looked ridiculous in his oxford button up and business slacks, but neither of them had expected anything but meetings out of their trip. Annabeth was still lamenting the fact that she hadn’t brought any flats.
“Can you put that out?”
“Why?” He asked, popping the hood of the car.
It wasn’t unfair of him to ask. She’d never shown an opinion on his nasty habit before. Now, though, she could already feel nausea crawling up her throat while her mouth flooded with saliva. “Oh my god, please.”
“Just give me a second.” He muttered, unscrewing something in the car.
She tried to breathe through it to no avail. Within seconds, she was bent over, mostly dry-heaving since she hadn’t had much to eat since the start of the trip.
“Oh shit.” He cursed, coming behind her, his hands hovering like he wasn’t sure if he should be doing something to comfort her, or if that would be overstepping. “Sorry, sorry,” He apologized, and she could hear the slight fizzle of the cigarette as he stomped it out under his leather patent shoe. “Sorry,” he said again as she stood. “I didn’t realize you were carsick since we got out.”
She sighed, looking up and blinking back tears. It didn’t look like they’d be home anytime soon, and the thought of Chase waking up on his birthday without her was enough to make her want to pick up Leo’s cigarette and relight it. “I’m not carsick.” She grumbled.
“Oh.” Leo blinked, obviously not understanding. “Like, the flu then?”
“No, Leo.”
“Did you catch something from the motel? Y’know the bedding looked super sketchy, and—”
“I’m pregnant.” She snapped. Not exactly how she thought she’d be coming out with her secret, but there it was. She’d discussed the possibility with Dr. Brunner during Chase’s last appointment, and had taken a test that same day. She wanted to tell Percy, but before she knew it, she was getting on a plane to California and stressed about her project, and she figured that it wouldn’t hurt to wait a few days.
Clearly, it had hurt. A lot.
“Oh shit,” Leo said. “I mean, congrats, but shit. This is…damn, this isn’t good timing, is it?”
“No,” she agreed. “Very, very bad timing, honestly.”
“Okay,” he huffed, shifting from foot to foot. “Just let me figure out what’s up with the car, and I’ll get you home, and we’ll be all good. Do you need something? Water?”
“Water would be great.” She said, leaning against the car. Leo didn’t move. “Why are you still standing there?”
“We don’t have any water.”
“Great.” She groaned. “Can you just look at the car so we can get out of here?” The morning had freaked her out more than she was willing to admit, and there was nothing more she wanted than to get home and forget that the entire trip had happened. She wanted to hug her son, and celebrate his birthday, and see the look on Percy’s face when she told him that they were going to do it all over again. She honestly hadn’t had much time to think about what having another baby would do for their family. She’d been too focused on the project, but with so much time in the car, she’d had time to get excited about it.
Last time she found out she was pregnant, it hadn’t been the best situation. She and Percy were both in college, hardly making it to begin with. Percy had promptly dropped out and joined the firestation, but it still hadn’t been enough to pay for daycare or regular babysitting. She spent all day in class, then was on baby duty all night while Percy pulled long overnight shifts at the station. It was exhausting, and she wished she would’ve had the time to really enjoy it.
Now, though, things were better. They were in a better spot, and would both hopefully be able to take some time off to enjoy newborn time. She couldn’t wait.
She stayed there, leaned up against the rental thinking about the best way to break the news to Percy until she heard Leo swear loudly, half his body under the hood. “What?” She asked, coming up behind him.
“Nothing.” He said nervously, shifting on the balls of his feet.
Annabeth looked into the engine. She was no car expert, but she’d seen the inside of one or two planes, and figured it couldn’t be much different. Looking under the hood, though, she knew that it wouldn’t take an expert to realize that the engine wasn’t in good shape. The metal was warped and rusted, with thick, black smoke coming off of it. “That doesn’t look like nothing.”
He huffed. “Yeah. Looks like the rental company gave us a shitty car.”
Annabeth sighed, running her hand down her face. “Well, if you can’t fix it, then what do we do?”
“We might just have to catch a ride.”
“Like hitchhiking?” She asked.
“Yeah. Kind of just like hitchhiking.”
“Leo.” She said sternly. “We are not hitchhiking. That’s a one-way ticket to ending up on Dateline, and apparently, unlike you, I actually want to survive this trip.”
“Annabeth.” He snapped, uncharacteristically gruff. “We don’t really have a choice here. Unless you want to walk aimlessly for god knows how long until we drop dead from dehydration,” he motioned widely at the open desert around them.
“Yeah,” she spat back, “because I’m really seeing a wide variety of options to come pick us up, too.”
He wiped his forehead with his sleeve, where sweat had gathered along his hairline. “Fuck-this isn’t good.”
“Yeah,” she laughed humorlessly. “You’re telling me. Is your phone still not working?”
He pulled it out of his jean pocket. Aggressively, he tapped the screen once, frowning and turning it towards her when it stayed black. “Nope.”
Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip. She needed to figure something out. Leo was right; they couldn’t just go walking. They had no water, and she didn’t think the bag of trail mix they’d been splitting would be enough to keep them for long. She was smart, but not a survivalist. She’d grown up in the city. Once, she and Percy had thought about going camping, and couldn’t even get a fire lit. She doubted she’d be able to do something as involved as finding water in the desert.
She searched her memory. “Wasn’t there an exit sign a few miles back?” She asked.
Leo scratched his chin. “I think so? I wasn’t paying super close attention.”
“Yeah, me neither.” She grumbled. Percy was probably worried sick by now. “Why don’t we head that way? If any cars come by, we can talk and see if they can give us directions.”
Leo frowned, looking her up and down. “You’re sure you want to do that? I can just go if it’ll be too much…”
She scowled, smoothing her blouse over her still-flat stomach. “I’m fine. Besides, I’d much rather walk a few miles than be stuck out here alone.” She shuddered, thinking of the hotel worker that morning.
Slowly, they began their trek.
It was soon clear that it was more than a few miles away like she thought. Her feet ached in her pumps, and she’d pushed the sleeves of her button-down as far up her arms as they would go. Leo wasn’t faring much better, even though he’d always claimed to handle the heat well.
She was moments away from calling it and walking in just her sports bra when a low rumbling started coming towards them, a blue truck kicking up dust in its wake. They both stopped to look as the truck groaned to a stop behind them. Leo took half a step in front of her as the car window rolled down–clearly a hand crank, the way the man's shoulder jostled.
“What are y’all doing all the way out here?” The man in the passenger seat sneered, looking them up and down, likely taking in the appearance of their rumpled work clothes. He wore an eyepatch, and his hair was stuck up in different directions, like it hadn’t been brushed in a while. “You look like you’re a long way from home.”
“We’re from New York,” Leo explained. “We were in California for a work trip, and our car broke down. We’re just looking for a ride to the next town so we can get a phone to call the rental company.”
The eyepatch man chuckled. “You ain’t gonna have any luck. The next town’s a mile away, but there aren't any survivors there.”
“Survivors?” Annabeth asked.
The man in the driver's seat leaned forward. He was probably a few years older than her, with close-cropped hair and a scar down the side of his face. His voice was deeper than she expected. “What kind of work were you doing in Cali?”
“What do you mean by survivors?” she argued back, unwilling to drop it. She wasn’t going to waste even one more second of her time on these guys if they were pulling her leg. She was hot, exhausted, and starving, not in the mood to deal with bullshit.
His eyebrows scrunched together. “You seriously don’t know?”
“Don’t know what?” Leo laughed nervously.
“Newsflash, buddy.” The eyepatch guy chuckled. “The world fucking ended while y’all were getting cozy in your rental car. Where’ve you been?”
Annabeth blinked. “What?”
“The world ended.” The man said more slowly, like he was talking to a child.
“What the hell does that mean?” Leo asked.
The man sighed, pulling a cellphone out of the center console and clicking it on. He scrolled to his camera roll, where he’d saved a bunch of videos. He thrust the phone towards them, letting Annabeth take it from them. She was shocked at what she saw. Cities burning while people fought in the streets. Half of them looked deranged.
“What?” She asked. “Where is this?”
“Chicago,” Eyepatch said. “Same everywhere, though. Even our neighborhood.”
“No way,” Leo said. “No fucking way.”
“Sorry you’re finding out this way.” The driver said sincerely. “We couldn’t believe it either. It’s all over the news, though, or it was. Seems like the government has completely pulled out; there’s nothing they’re able to do to contain it. They’re saying it started from something in the water, I think.”
“Oh, my god,” Annabeth said, looking at Leo. She still couldn’t believe it, but he was white as a ghost, shaking his head as he kept scrolling on the phone. She thought about Percy and Chase in their New York apartment. If something happened to them–She shook her head, refusing to follow that train of thought before she could come up with worst-case-scenarios that left her widowed and childless. Percy was smart, and he was strong. She knew that he’d do anything to get Chase to safety, just like she would.
Still, it was unbelievable, and if they hadn’t had the evidence to back up their claims, there was no way she’d believe them.
“Listen,” the driver said. “My name’s Luke; this is Ethan. Were you guys headed to Laramie?”
“If that’s what the exit sign said, yeah.” Annabeth swallowed. Luke looked ashen.
“You won’t find anything there.” He said. “The whole city turned against each other. I mean, Ethan and I were there earlier, and hardly made it out. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t come across anyone sooner.”
Annabeth thought of the man from the hotel, and couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been hit by the same madness as the people on Ethan’s phone.
“Well then what do we do?” Leo queried.
Luke looked thoughtful. “You could come with us.” Ethan looked skeptical, but Luke continued, “Our town didn’t take it well, per se, but my neighborhood is in good shape. We have generators, and enough food to last a while.”
“We're trying to get home,” Annabeth explained quickly. “Back to New York. As soon as we can fix the car. I can’t…we can’t stay here for long.”
“Yeah, I assumed.” Luke smiled. “We can help you get whatever parts you need. We’re still figuring out our supply runs, but we’ll do what we can to get you back on your feet. I don’t think it’ll be like tomorrow or anything, but we’ll do whatever we can. For now, though, you aren’t going anywhere, and, no offense, but you don’t seem prepared to rough it in the desert.”
They weren’t. Annabeth was still nauseous and a little lightheaded from dehydration. She looked at Leo, sharing a silent conversation before he nodded. “That would be great. Thank you.”
“Great,” Luke said, smiling, looking at her thoughtfully, then turning to his passenger. “Ethan, get in the back.”
“Why?”
“Because,” Luke said, exasperated. “I’m not making a lady ride in the bed of my truck.”
“It’s fine,” Annabeth stammered.
“No, it isn’t,” Luke argued. “My mom raised me better than that. Get out, Ethan.”
Ethan shot her a dirty look, undoing his seatbelt with a click and opening the door, motioning for Leo to hop in the back with him. Leo shared a long look with her, and Annabeth nodded.
Once she was settled in the seat and the boys were in the back, Luke started the truck back up. The engine roared to life, but he seemed unfazed by it. “So,” He said, leaning forward to crank up the AC. Annabeth was grateful for it, feeling the sweat on her skin cool immediately. “You never answered my question.”
“Which was?” She didn’t mean to be short with him, but she was out of patience for the day. Not to mention the fact that Percy was going to kill her when he found out she hopped in the car with a stranger. Honestly, she was surprised by his small talk, but also a bit grateful. She was still in disbelief over what had happened, and thought that she’d rather be alone when the truth hit her. She’d never been any good at accepting bad news, and this was quite possibly the worst news imaginable. She needed, more than anything, to find a way to get in contact with Percy and see if he was okay. He had to be. Hopefully someone in Luke’s neighborhood had a working phone.
“What type of work were you guys doing out here?”
“Oh,” she said, remembering. It was all too easy to forget his question when it had been followed by the revelation that the world had ended. “I’m an architect, and Leo’s a building engineer. We’re partners on an ecobuilding project that’s almost finished.”
He whistled lowly. “Damn, that’s legit.”
“I guess so.” She muttered. Not that it mattered anymore. She would’ve luckily turned down the project if she’d known where it would get her.
“Why the rush to get back?” He asked, “You have a family in the city?”
“Yeah,” she sighed. Worry over her boys ate at her so badly that it felt like a physical pain. “My husband and my son.”
“Son?” Luke asked, raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t anything she wasn’t accustomed to. “How old is he?”
“He’ll be four on Saturday.” She said.
“Oh,” Luke frowned, thumbs drumming on the steering wheel. “I’m sorry. It sucks you were away from home with all of this.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I know. I just really need to get home.”
“I get that. We’ll get you back, don’t worry.” He gave her an encouraging smile. “While you’re here, though, I’d love your help with something. Maybe it could help get your mind off everything, too.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
“I want to put up some sort of barrier around the neighborhood.” He explained. “You should’ve seen what’s happened to some of the other places, just in the few days since this has started. People are crazy, and we have a lot of folks we need to keep safe. Families, kids, everyone.”
It sounded like a reasonable enough request. Besides, she wasn’t in much of a position to turn down his help. He was probably the only reason she and Leo hadn’t walked into what she guessed was the bloodbath in the other town, and he’d promised to help with the car. “What can I do?”
“Well, you’re an architect, aren’t you?” He smiled. She thought he was probably quite the charmer in the real world.
She nodded. “I am.”
“So, I thought you could help me figure it out. Like I said, just until the car’s fixed, and you can get home.”
“Yeah, okay.” She nodded. “I think that’s something I can do.”
They sat in a comfortable silence, until getting to the gate of a community. A few people stood armed in front of the entrance, parting when they saw Luke come through, pulling the gate closed behind him. “Here we are.” He said proudly. “Welcome to your home away from home.”