Meets&Greets

Katie blinked once, twice, as she mournfully looked out over her farm from her bedroom, waiting for a little car to trundle towards their farmhouse..

She and her father had got an SOS IM from Chiron. Chaos was exploding in camps all over the world, and they were in desperate need of non-year rounders, who were miles away from the destruction. Chiron had apologised for the fact that there was actually nothing they could do. The monsters weren't interested in taking over the world-not yet, anyway. Their first step was to destroy all demi-gods, then to take on Olympus. The Gods would be defenceless without their children.

Chiron knew it wasn't ideal, but had met with other camp leaders, and they'd decided that it was the only thing they could do. And then, just hope for the best. Katie hadn't even known there were any other camps, but she must have been wrong. She was obviously wrong.

She leapt up and rubbed her eyes when she saw a little white dot in the distance. She couldn't believe it. After three hours of waiting, whoever was staying with her had finally arrived.

Thea sat with her elbows resting on her knees, and her head in her hands. She was sitting in her companion's car, who had sun glasses on, and glancing at himself in the rear view mirror. She was pretty sure that if she was in her homeland, he would be labelled as completely and utterly gay. Not that she was homophobic. Just her comrades.

She let the music that was coming out of her ipod wash over. There was nothing that could calm her nerves like a bit of T-Rex. Her companion cleared his throat. 'What're you listening to?' he asked. She pulled her earphones out.

'You what?'

He repeated himself.

'I'm listenin' to T-Rex.'

'Who?'

'Y'know, T-Rex. Marc Bolan? 20th Century Boy?'

He looked blank.

'From the eighties? Punk?'

'What, punk music? I don't think we had that kind of thing here.'

'Well, it's bloody lucky 'e's British then, innit?' She sighed, and flopped back on her seat. 'D'you know this girl we're stayin' with, th'n?'

Travis looked thoughtful. He remembered all the times he'd teased her, and how funny it had been before the war. He remembered when he and his brother tried to see how many hours a week they ended up spending with her, purely from her shouting. The answer=A lot.

'No, not really.'

'Oh, all right then. Don't try to make conversation with me.'

'No, I mean, I obviously know her. She'd spend three months at camp every year. Of course I know her.'

'So, what's she like?'

'Oh, you know... OK.'

'Care to illustrate on that?'

'Not really.' He tried desperately to think of something to change the conversation. 'How was your flight over from... England?'

'What d'yer think? It was 'ell. I'm a daughter of Poseidon, 'member?'

'Oh, yea! I remember. So, what's the deal with the whole "sister of the saviour of the world" thing?'

She pretended not to hear him, and stared out of the window, before saying, 'Oh, for Pete's sake! Can't she farm somethin' other than corn? My eyes are beginnin' to 'urt.'

'Katie,' Travis found himself saying.

'You what?'

' "She's" called Katie,' he said, with air quotations. Thea groaned and said,

'Are we nearly bloody there yet?!'

Travis ignored her, before letting his eyes light up as a large white house came in to view.

'Yes!' Thea said, making a fist shape with her hand, and pulling her arm towards herself.

'Is that some English thing, then?'

'Divvin't be stupid!'

Katie tripped down the stairs in excitement and nerves. She couldn't wait to see who she'd be spending the next couple of months- but at the same time, she didn't want to know at all.

She stood at the door as she watched flash car pull up in the driveway. Her heart sank when she saw who got out of the driver's seat.

With honey coloured hair shining in the sun, and a tight, white T-shirt showing off his fit body, he whipped his sun glasses off and winked at Katie. 'Hey, Kates. How's it going?' Katie knew she was a goner.

She hadn't seen him since they were sixteen, and now they were in their last year of high school. He'd certainly grown up since then.

Travis was having similar thoughts on Katie. Her naturally highlighted hair cascaded past her neckline, and she wore a camisole with jeans, which emphasised her womanly curves. He was practically drooling.

Katie hoped and prayed to all the Gods that the person to step out the car next would save her. It was in vain.

Thea stumbled out of the car, banging her head on the roof of it. Speaking of her head, Katie tried not to raise an eyebrow at the amazing, black curls tearing out of her scalp and falling to her shoulders. She was wearing plain trainers and combat trousers, with a navy hoodie which was plainly far too big for her.

'Hullo. I'm Thea,' she said, after she'd walked round the car to stand next to Travis, rubbing her head with one hand, and extending the other to be shaken. 'Nice t'meet you. You're Katie. Am I wrong?'

'No. You're not wrong. Nice to meet you Thea. How are you?'

'As it goes, OK, actually. Long journey an' everythin', but, y'know...'

'Right then,' Katie said, trying to cover up her disappoinment by being efficient. 'I expect you'd like to see where you'll be sleeping.' Thea desperately wanted to make a wisecrack, but decided to not yet tease the poor girl.

'Please. I'd love to.'

Thea surveyed her room with interest. A small, plain room, with only a bed, wardrobe, desk and chair as furniture. She opened her single suitcase and hung jeans and shirts up in the wardrobe, before lifting a hard, black, plastic case from the suitcase carefully and opening that. In the black case was a gleaming saxophone, which she inspected for scratches. When she was satisfied that the treasured instrument had survived the trip unscathed, she placed it on top of the wardrobe. Thea sat back on her bed and closed her eyes.

After a few moments, she heard a knock, and the sound of door sliding across the carpet. 'Thea. It's dinner time, and you'll need to meet my step sister, step mom and dad.'

'OK. I'll be there now.'

Thea hopped down the stairs after Katie, deep in thought. She didn't care either way, but it would be nice if they were... Nice. Her heart leapt when she saw Katie's step "mom". She was plump, with a round, smiling face, and an apron, in a tidy kitchen.

'Oh, 'ello,' she said, trying to plaster a smile across her face.

'Heya, honey. You must be Thea?'

'That's right.'

'I'm Kathleen.'

'So... What for tea?'

'I'm sorry?'

'What's for tea?' she repeated.

'For... Tea? As in, afternoon tea?'

'No, as in supper tea.'

'Oh, I see! Chicken.'

'OK. And, um... Where's yer husband?'

'He's out on the farm. Would you like to sit down?'

'Thanks a bunch, love,' Thea said gratefully, seating herself next to Katie and opposite Travis.

Katie held her breath when somebody stepped through the doorway. Thea and Travis raised their eyerbrows.

The girl standing there was wearing a pink top, if it could be called that. It was really just an oversized, pink bra, but nobody dared complain. She wore shorts that were barely shorts, but so short that they were no more than underwear. Her strappy gold sandals went half way up shins, and her highlighted hair was put up in messy bun. Her pouty, bright red lips stuck out of her face like an unhappy fish, and her eyes were so dark with eye liner, eye shadow and mascara, they just looked like black holes, and her face was as white as a sheet.

Not that Travis was worrying about that. His eyes were glued to her chest. 'Hello,' she whispered sexily. 'I'm... Sydney.'

Thea raised her hand. 'Wow, wow. Did you say Sydney?'

'Yea,' she breathed. Thea smiled and shook her head.

'No, no, no. You've gotta be jokin', though.'

'No,' she started to frown, but immediately straightening her face out. You could almost see her say to herself, "Wrinkles, frown lines!".

'OK, fine. I'm Thea,' she said.

'Right.' She caught Travis' eye, and pushed her shoulders together, slowly easing herself in to the seat next to him. 'And who are you?' she murmured, letting what you could see of her eyes flicker down to his lips.

'T-travis,' he stuttered, furiously trying to keep his eyes trained to her face.

'Well... Travis. I think that we might be,' she paused to touch her lip with her tongue. 'Friends.'

'Yeah!' Thea said, spoiling the moment. 'Best buddies!' she said in her best American accent. Sydney gave her a death stare, while Travis was still trying to pull his eyes away.

Kathleen seemed to be oblivious, but couldn't help glancing at the group every so often. She tried her best to look busy, but couldn't help but be relieved when her husband came to the door. 'Hello, darling,' he said in a broad, Southern accent, before turning to the teenagers. Thea took a sip of water.

'Hi, kids. I'm Randy.' Thea spat all of the water out to the side of the table.

'You're what?'

'Randy. My name is Randy.'

'Oh, thank God!' They all stared at her. 'You do know what randy means, don't you?'

'No...'

'Y'know.' She lowered her voice. 'Horny.'

'Right,' Katie said. 'That will be one of things which will be absolutely banned from the dinner table.'

Thea shrugged. 'It does.'

'Anyway,' Randy said. 'Let's get on with the introducing, shall we?'

A/N Hello! I pulled down the fifth version (I think) of this story, because I'm not happy with it know, but I'm pretty certain I am now. I really, really need support and criticism for this, because I'm quite under confident with this. Three reviews, another chapter. A test, to see whether people like this better. OK?