Okay so until I get more muse for my Thalia story (which I've already started to write) I decided to type out this story that I've played with in my head for close to a year now. Please be patient with me, because although I've toyed with different plots, outcomes, endings and what have you for this story, It's different when you're actually typing it out so my updating may be a little slow. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and it would really mean a lot to me if you would review ^_^

Disclaimer: I never have and more than likely never will own the world of Percy Jackson, nor Greek Mythology.

She sat on her bed studying the seven year old picture. It was one of the things that she never knew exactly why she kept around. It just seemed to make her feel better. The picture was of her as a little girl, sitting on the lap of her mother, Angela. They looked so different at the time. Aria's mother's hair was red and her eyes green. Her skin was a bit pail too. Aria at the time had blond hair and blue eyes, accompanied with a slight tan. It wasn't fair. Aria had worked so hard to change herself, to be more like her mother, to pretend that her life was great, but every Summer she had to go back to the camp. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be held captive there, like an animal forced into individualized holding pens. Stereotyped. That's all Camp Half-Blood was, after all. A place for the gods to put all of their children to keep them out of their hair, and from drawing too much attention to their worlds. Aria remembered her first day at that camp. She was claimed after about a week and a half, and then simply pushed into the Apollo cabin. No visit from her "father", no explanation as to why he ruined her mother's life, nothing. She supposed she was lucky to be claimed at all, but that didn't make her feel any better. All of her half brothers and sisters all looked alike. They looked like her. That's why after that first Summer she'd changed.

The change had worked out pretty well. She dyed her hair to look like her mom's, and she started wearing green colored contacts. She stopped doing most of the things she loved, like singing, ballet, and anything else that seemed to be in character for a typical Apollo child. Aria hated it at first, but she got used to it once she realized the effect it had on her mother. It seemed to make her happier, though she would never admit it. Aria always thought it was because she always reminded her mom of Apollo. Once Aria changed, her mom seemed to not always feel depressed anymore. Angela never liked to talk about her relationship with Apollo. All Aria could piece together was that Apollo promised her the world, and said he would always be there for her. Then after he had his fun, he told Angela who he really was and left her humiliated, with a baby on the way. She never heard from him again. Aria and Angela shared the same hurt and anger towards him. They always had. It's what made them close.

Along with the change came another benefit of her change was when she went to Camp Half-Blood the next year. She couldn't be labeled "One of the Apollo kids" anymore. It wasn't that she hated her brothers or sisters or anything. No she liked them..Kayla, Will, Maria, Alex, Michael, and the rest of them. Who she really hated was their father. When she first went to that camp she never met him. Here she was, seventeen years old and she still hadn't met him. He obviously didn't care. Why would he? She was just another outcome of one of his many flings.

Aria placed the picture back into what she liked to call her "memory box" which contained all of her old ballet trophies, ribbons, her demo CD which she had recorded herself, her ballet flats, videos of her dancing, and pictures of her early childhood. After placing the box in the back of her closet she decided to go downstairs. Apollo didn't matter now. All that mattered was the fact that Summer was over and she was back home. She could focus on school and taking care of her mother. There was no doubt that she would need Aria's emotional support. She always did. Aria knew that her mother was unhappy with her life, and the most Aria could do was be there for her when she needed it most.

Aria's mother was sitting at the dining room table, cell phone in hand. She looked troubled.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Aria asked, sitting across from her.

"Honey, I just talked to my boss. They want me to go out of town for the week to take care of some things." She explained with an apologetic smile.

"But...but I've just got back! I've been gone the whole summer. I don't want either of us to leave again!"

"I know Ari, but it's only for a week."

"A week!"

"Aria, You can stay here and have a friend over or something. I'll have your aunt Charlotte stay with you even. Unless you'd rather go over there to stay with her?"

"No," she sighed. "I'll stay here." Aria didn't want to agree, but she knew that her mom needed this job. Things were tight, and Angela couldn't afford to turn down the boss' orders now.

"When do you have to leave?" She asked.

"First thing in the morning."

Two hours and 3 phone calls later, it was arranged that Aria was to stay at her house, and her aunt Charlotte would come over once or twice everyday to keep an eye on her. Aria wasn't the type of girl to get into trouble, so Charlotte wasn't necessary, but still. She took comfort in knowing that she wouldn't be alone the entire time. The next morning Aria had said goodbye to her mother, and Charlotte had stopped by with different pre-made meals, so that Aria wouldn't have to cook very much.

"Thanks for bringing this over Char, it really means a lot to me."

"Aw, it's no problem dear. I'm just sorry your mom had to leave...and you just got back too."

"Yeah, I know. But it's only a week. I'll be fine."

She kissed her aunt goodbye, she finally she was alone. She had nowhere to go, nothing to do. School didn't start until next week anyway, the house was mostly clean. She decided watch television in the living room. She sat down with her lab pup, Arty, curled up beside her, and together they watched re-runs of House.

Twelve thirty rolled around and the mail came.

"Well Arty, should I see if anything interesting has come today?"

Aria stood up and stretched before heading out the door. She got the mail and went through all of the letters.

"Hmph...Junk mail." she muttered to herself.

As she walked back into the house and shut the door behind her, she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Dismissing it as Arty, she made her way into the kitchen and put the mail on their small kitchen table. She walked back into the living room and there, wearing jeans, a polo shirt, jacket and Ray Bans, was a guy slightly older than her. About nineteen or twenty years old, and on her couch, with Arty curled up next to him. Aria froze, eyes wide, trying to think of where the nearest phone was to call 911. Where was her cell phone? Oh wait, he had it. Why did he have her cell phone? Who was he?All of these thoughts, along with panic were building up in her head. The man just sat there on the couch, fiddling with Aria's phone. He set her phone down, looked up at the still frozen Aria and smiled.

"Hey kiddo! So, how do you feel about family bonding?"