Ch 26

Aldora POV

I'm changing Percy and Aldora's age in this story but everything happens immediately after Quest for the Trident Percy is 16 and Aldora is 17. Hope you all enjoy this story.

"Percy get in here!" Sally called from the kitchen. Percy left his room slowly, looking back at me before turning right towards the kitchen. I pulled my legs in and got up to follow him. Sally had her slightly greying hair tied up in a loose bun and was mixing what appeared to be cookie dough. Instinctively I walked up to Percy and was about to intertwine my fingers with his before he glared at me with his beautiful sea green eyes to remind me. We hadn't exactly told Sally we were dating yet. We weren't sure how she would react and after seeing how our parents reacted we weren't to ecstatic for a repeat especially so soon after the quest.

"Percy you really need to take that girlfriend of yours on a date soon," Sally said, still mixing the cookie dough. Percy's eyes got so big, they honestly should have popped right out of his eye sockets. "You seriously didn't think your parents wouldn't warn me about you two?"

"And your not gonna freak out like our parents?" Percy asked still looking shocked.

"Why would I? I'm happy for you two," Sally responded as a smile spread across her slim face. That was the only approval we needed.

Percy looked from Sally, to me and back at Sally still looking shocked. He ran at Sally and engulfed her in a massive bear hug, "We thought you would freak out at us."

"Percy, I'd never freak out like your parents did, their still not too enthused about it but trust me, one day they will accept you two," Sally said hugging Percy back. Sally extended her left arm welcoming me into the hug. I joined them and we just stood like that for awhile happy to be with each other. We were more of a family then we are with anyone on Olympus. Sally was the only person we can really trust with everything. "You two need to go get some fresh air, enjoy being kids for a bit, forget about the rest of the world," Sally let us go and Percy lead me out the backdoor and towards the stream. If only it were that easy to be normal.

"How do you think camps going to react with us being the new leaders?" I asked Percy, nervously sitting on a rock beside him. I kicked off my shoes and put my feet in the cool water.

"Well if Chiron's any indication we should be fine. They'll either hate us or love us," Percy answered looking out into the forest. "What kind of new powers do you think they were talking about?"

"Honestly, I think it's got to do with claiming demigods. When I met Nico I passed out after seeing skulls and darkness," I answered thinking back to when I'd first met Nico in Victoria. He'd come to me looking for a friend and I'd brought him head first into this mess of a world that he'd never be able to truly leave behind no matter what he tries.

"But as far as we both know he hasn't been claimed yet," Percy stated, looking over at me.

"Percy, think about it, he's gotta be a son of Hades, who else's kid could he be?" I asked.

"I know but it could just be a fluke. Can't we just pretend to be normal for once, stop worrying about everything else?" I silently agreed and moved myself off the rock and onto the mossy, damp ground beside him. He took my hand and I leaned my head on his shoulder. "I still can't believe any of this, we spend our whole life hidden from our world then all of a sudden we have to watch over all the demigods and run Camp Half Blood," Camp the only safe haven for the children of the gods.

"I know it's so much on us. They forget that we have no clue where to even start. For all we know we could destroy everything," I said the last part very quietly.

"Chiron won't let you destroy it," a new voice interrupted we both looked up at the same time. Hades was standing across the stream looking straight at us with his black eyes, at least it wasn't Aphrodite.

"Hades, what can we do for you?" Percy asked, not bothering to stand up.

"Well you see it's a bit of a soar subject on the other Olympians. It's about my son-," Hades started.

"I didn't know you had a son," I rudely interrupted which resulted in Hades glaring at me.

"As I was saying, the others want him dead and won't give me any clue as to why. You guys need to protect him from the others and I don't think keeping him in Camp will do him any good," Hades said.

"We'll keep him safe, why wouldn't we," I answered, the gears started turning in my head, why would the others be out for one demigod alone. Hades disappeared as fast as he had came obviously not wanting to be caught.

"Still think I'm wrong?" I asked looking him square in the eyes.

"Me? Never," Percy put his hands up in surrender.

"Good," I got up and headed into the stream, not knowing why I was heading there, I hate swimming and most bodies of water in general.

" What has the world turned into? A daughter of Hestia and Zeus willingly walking into a stream," Percy said in mock horror.

"Shut up," I retorted splashing him. I was knee deep in cool water when Percy took off his shoes and rolled his pant legs up to followed me in.

"Don't think you are going to win this water battle," Percy stated before sending a wave to hit me. I stood my ground and splashed him again, no where near as strong as the one he'd sent at me but what can you do against a son of Poseidon and Artemis, not much with water and I'd learned that a long time ago. Within two minutes I was drenched with water but for once I didn't feel any panic, instead right as I was going to splash Percy I felt an unfamiliar tug in my gut, one I'd never felt before and so unlike anything I feel when I use fire. Instead of just a nice splash a wave formed and drenched Percy and I was left feeling physically drained.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked looking shocked and very wet.

"I have no clue," I replied dumbfound and just stood there feeling connected to the water, "this is just getting creepy." I ran out of the stream and started glowing to dry off.

"What's creepy?" Percy asked sounding genuinely concerned.

"How did I just do that and why did I feel so connected with the water?" I asked relieved that I was drying at a fairly fast rate I wanted all the water off me. Everything seemed amplified some how, like I was acutely aware of everything that was going on and I have no clue why.

"Percy, Aldora can you come inside for a minute!" Sally called from the back deck and I was brought out of my terror as we headed for the house. We walked in the back door to find Zeus sitting at the dining table.

"Hello Father," I politely acknowledged him while sitting down across from him and taking a still warm chocolate chip cookie from the plate Sally had placed on the table.

Zeus waited till Percy had sat down to start, "The son of Hades needs to go. We can't afford to keep him around, he'll do more harm then good. We need you to bring him to Olympus for us and we can deal with him from there."

"No. We won't bring him to you," Percy replied.

"And if I tell you that you have absolutely no choice?" Zeus asked raising his voice.

"I'll still tell you no, you won't touch a hair on him," Percy was serious by this point.

"You can't say no to the King of the gods. You have 3 days before all hell breaks lose," Zeus stated glaring at Percy. Before Percy or I could refire Zeus had teleported away from here.

"Why would they want him dead?" Sally asked breaking the silence that had formed. I looked over and she was standing behind us with her arms crossed.

"Who knows. Some ancient grudge probably," I replied letting go of the breath I'd been holding in.

"Now all we have to do is keep him safe and camp is not an option," Percy said turning in his chair to face me. Sally came and sat across from us taking the spot Zeus had been in minutes before. We began a discussion about Hades' son whom Percy and I had mutually decided was

Nico. I hadn't even noticed how long we'd been sitting at the table until Sally brought over supper and I looked out the window to see twilight had set in. The sun was peaking over the horizon, the light was just finding its way through the scattered trail the trees left. I dug into my Shepherds Pie and took in all the flavours.

"So tomorrow you two are going to go get Nico and bring him here until you have a better idea?" Sally asked when she sat down with her plate which had a loaded Shepherds Pie on it.

"We'll go tonight incase Zeus tries playing any games," Percy answered.

"We still need to find somewhere safer for him, it won't take them long to find him especially if we hang around here for much longer," I stated stirring my mashed potatoes around my plate.

"Then come check on him once a day until you can get him somewhere better," Sally suggested.

"I'll meet you there," Percy told me before teleporting to camp I followed right behind him. It was completely dark when I arrived, I took a step to head down Half-Blood Hill, the entrance to Camp Half-Blood but I tripped over a tree root. "Watch it," Percy said pulling me up before I landed on the ground.

"Thanks," I replied and we ran down the hill and towards the big blue house that overlooks camp where we knew Chiron would be. Lightning flashed in the distance and rain began pounding the grass. Percy and I barged through the door to find Chiron standing beside Nico who was sitting on a plush red couch.

"Take the boy and run," Chiron told us. We didn't need to be told twice, we were out of there as fast as we had come.