Money Isn't Everything

Annabeth and Rachel

I have decided to include Reyna in this story. So there's that and I don't really have any other news so read on.

I'm riffling through the bins, looking for food, when someone shouts, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

It's a kitchen maid, probably come to throw out more perfectly good food. It's despicable.

"What does it look like? I'm looking for food." I tell her, sighing.

"Oh." This seems to stump her. "Well why don't you go home to get food?"

"There's no food at home." I wouldn't expect a kitchen maid to be so naive but it seems she is. "Do you think I enjoy riffling through peoples rubbish?"

"Oh." She says and then it seems to click. I expect her to shoo me away like a dog but instead she says, "Why don't you some inside?"

I stand there stunned for a moment before following her in.

"I'm Rachel." She tells me smiling.

"Percy." I say.

"It's nice to meet you Percy." She says, still smiling.

"Yeah." I mumble. I'm distracted by the hugeness of this place and how much food there is just lying around.

She laughs, "Why don't you sit down and I'll make you some tea?

"Won't your boss mind?" I ask surprised.

"The cook won't and Mr Chase will never know." she tells me shrugging.

"Okay." I say uncertainly. She makes the tea and comes and sits across from me.

"So what's your story?" Rachel asks.

"What's yours?" I ask, unwilling to give away any information about me and my family.

"My dad and I used to live in one of those fancy apartments, you know." She says and I do, how could I not? I see them everyday towering over everything. "He was the owner of a big company and we were happy. I mean he didn't really have time for me but I was much better off than most people. It changed though when his company fell into debt and he had to sell everything we had. Mr Chase was an old family friend and he gave us both jobs here. I guess that's all there is to it."

But it isn't , I can tell. There was something she left out but that's okay because there are millions of things I'm not telling her.

Annabeth POV

I know I shouldn't be here but I can't seem to pull my eyes away from the boy going through my bins. I can't see the appeal of going through bins to be honest and I don't think he's enjoying it. I've seem the boy around before and I can't help but wonder where he's from. He's probably just another homeless boy and that makes me sad. I know I shouldn't but I think I should. Expressions like just another homeless boy shouldn't be so common. It shouldn't be normal. I have money and dad says that money is the only way to success. What about that boy? Will he never feel success because he doesn't have any money?

My encounter with Thalia the other day left me shaken. Especially her answer to my question, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm surviving." then she walked away. Thalia always had a sad, broken look in her eyes, something you don't usually see in a ten year old, but now her eyes are guarded and weary, still sad and broken but guarded like she's hiding everything else she fells from the world. I miss Thalia. I wonder if she know what happened to Luke. Probably not.

I sigh as I watch the boy. He has messy black hair and is wearing a ratty old coat. I watch as Rachel the kitchen maid comes out and shouts at him. I watch as they talk and she leads him inside. I don't know much about Rachel or any of the servants really and that makes me feel bad because their supposed to serve me and I know nothing about them.

My dad says I shouldn't feel bad and maybe I shouldn't but I do anyway. I can never work out if that makes me good or bad. Calypso says it's good and so does Will but Piper says I should just forget about it. I haven't really talked to Frank or Grover about it.

"Annabeth." a voice calls. I turn to see Sam, one of maids, "Your father wants you."

"Thank you, Sam. I'll me there just now." I tell her with a small smile.

"Yes, my lady." She bobs a curtsy before leaving. I've lost count of the times someones curtsied to me.

I take one last look out the window before leaving and see a group of four children walking in the street obviously homeless.