A Warm Winter

The phone rang again with the 360 are code displayed prominently on the caller ID as a frustrated Percy Jackson finally set down the pencil to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, my name is Eric Patterson. I'm with the Washington State Police Department, is there a Paul Blowfish there?" An authoritative voice asked.

"Paul Blofis? Yeah, give me a minute," Percy frowned, he put a hand over the phone, "hey Paul, you got cops from the other side of the country wanting to speak with you!"

He waited for the shuffling of feet coming down the small hallway of the New York apartment. Paul slugged into view, "what'd you do this time?" he asked jokingly.

"He better not have, otherwise I will break a few bones of his," Annabeth snorted from the couch.

Percy rolled his hands as he handed him the phone, "this is Paul."

The demigod legend walked over to the couch as Paul's expression quickly changed to one of shock. He sat down in one of the chairs with a hand over his mouth, "yeah, I knew her, we dated in college but it didn't last very long."

Annabeth glanced at Percy, "uh, what's going on?"

"Cops from Washingtn state called, wanted to talk to him for some reason."

Annabeth nodded, "well due to his facial expression something might have happened."

Percy looked at Paul who was running his free hand through his hair, "no, I didn't know. I haven't talked to her since I last saw her. Are you sure?"

Sally poked her head out of the bedroom, "hey Paul, what's going on."

Paul raised a finger quickly, "I don't know what to say...I don't know...can I take some time to decide what to do? I need to talk it over with my family."

Paul shakingly pressed the end call button. He held his head in his hands as Sally hobbled out, her belly still eight months pregnant, "what is it?"

Paul was silent before answering, "I have a daughter...and I didn't even know."

-Izzy-

I grabbed the carry-on bag from the overhead compartment as the social worker next to me snapped awake. He was just here to make sure I didn't run away once the plane landed and try to get back to Washington. Like he could really stop me. I was my mother's daughter. She raised me to be...special. But running away meant getting caught and sent back in an endless cycle and possibly a criminal record. I don't exactly know about that last part, not entirely sure if it was true or not. But I'm sure my mother would disapprove, even though she was taken from me, right in front of my very eyes. Carly Frost, the name she'd use around mortals was seemingly killed by electrocution. In reality, Zeus stole her spirit. He left her body lying dead. It was hours before anyone saw me sobbing over her. Now here I was, right under his nose like some sick joke.

I waited before the social worker nudged me into the aisle to get off the plane. The flight from SeaTac to JFK was annoyingly long. I followed the line slowly and to the gate of the plane. He walked next to me at a brisk pace, "hey, what's the rush?"

"I have to get you to your father and get back on another plane to head back to Seattle so I'd appreciate it if you picked up the pace Isabella," he snapped irritatingly.

"Do not call me that," I remarked as I stopped by one of those small convenience kiosks and paid for a lemonade. I grabbed it and nodded a quick thank you to the cashier before twisting the bottle open.

Neil, as his name tag prompted, gave me an angry look. He pinched his forehead between his fingers, "why couldn't you get anything on the plane?"

"Because I know the cost comparison if I bought it at the gate rather than midair. Besides, have you seen the sizes that they give you on the plane? Plus they didn't have lemonade on the plane," I smiled before I took a swig.

"You're very aggravating, do you know that?"

"Its my way of coping, you'd probably be this way to if you were forced to see your parent die, then get forced to abandon your life that you were comfortable in and move across the country try to live with a parent you never met, so yeah I know, but I don't care."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I didn't write the laws, and you're only sixteen. If you were seventeen and a half, you could have filed something with the judge. But you're not so here you are. Now will you please hurry it up."

He picked up the pace to a near jog as his phone beeped, he swore once as he started jogging. I slowed down purposely to see if he noticed. Some people just needed to cut loose. That man needed a vacation, if I were him, I'd relax a bit. It's okay for him to miss a flight if he's on company time. He needed to chill.

He kept going and disappeared around the corner. I waited a moment before shrugging and walked to the book kiosk, picking up a novel on Celtic Mythology. Bridget would get a kick out of it. I paid quickly and grabbed it before heading in the direction of Neil the Busy Bee.

Why couldn't I have stayed with Bridget? She "turns 18" in like two months! She was a reincarnated Celtic Goddess but kind of was dealing with old memories pooping up in her young body. We loved looking at books on Celtic lore just to see if we could trigger a memory.

The things mortals miss, sometimes a bit of magic can just cheer up someone's day. Just seeing certain things might help. But the mist was the mist and barely anybody saw through it.

I yawned as I shoved it in the bag, careful not to ruin any of my fragile belongings. I took another sip of the lemonade as Neil came scurrying frantically into view, "Isabella! Hurry up!"

"Don't call me that!" I shouted back at him as I followed along at a faster pace, "if you're so worried about it, just go catch your plane. I can handle this on my own!"

"No! I have to..."

I stopped and grabbed his shoulders and looked him dead in the eye, "no, you really want to just say screw it and catch a plane home and then take a vacation because you're really stressed out."

I let him go to see if the limited charmspeak worked, he blinked quickly, "listen, if you truly think you can handle it. I'm going to go, just please don't tell my boss."

I grinned and looked at the ground, "these lips are sealed. Go home Neil!"

He frowned and then smiled, "I need a vacation, kids like you run me ragged."

I watched as he jogged back to the terminal. I sighed happily as I readjusted the bag and walked down towards the luggage carousel. I waited patiently for the blue and gray suitcase to come to me. It was only a few minutes before it arrived and I grabbed it. I headed towards the edit where a cluster of people were waiting holding a variety of signs. Layla. Michaelson. Therresa. And last but not least, Isabella. I walked towards the before some other girl ran toward that girl and gave her a hug. Wrong person then. But I never was told who was picking me up or what they looked like. Hell, I've never even spoken to any of them. I looked at the dozens of people standing around before finally giving up and sitting on a bench. I took out my phone, dangerous for demigods but usually, they left me alone. Some monsters just don't like the cold. I opened Messenger and sent a message to Bridget.

/Landed Safely, got you a book to see if it helps/

I waited for a moment before it showed that she received the message and was typing.

\you meet your faja yet?\

/no, I don't even know wht he looks like/

/*what/

\probably like you but subtract your mom\

/thanks genius/

\your welcome, I g2g, still in school\

I closed the app and looked around again, seeing nobody really stand out. I huffed as I opened my bag and slipped the Elysium Silver knuckles into my pocket. A Cyclops slid down next to me, "hey girl, what's up?"

"How ya doing one eye?"

"That easy? I thought this disguise was good!" He complained.

I laughed, "yeah well I've had practice. Little tip, don't do that in a crowded area either. Now run along."

He stood up and walked off before looking at another teenager and quickening his pace.

The guy had sea green eyes and messy black hair and looked...well to be honest. Completely lost. It almost seemed like he was looking for someone. He pulled out a picture and looked around before he settled his eyes on me. I looked away quickly and pulled out my phone. 4:19 pm EST.

He walked right up to me and paused a moment. I gazed up at him, "can I help you?"

"Are you..." He flipped over the photo in his hand, "Isabella Frost?"

"Please don't call me that and you seem awfully young to be my dad."

He blinked, "oh! No! Uh, Paul is at a teachers meeting and was running late, so he asked me to pick you up. I'm his step son, Percy. Percy Jackson," he extended a hand.

I shook it nervously, "Izzy Frost, I guess I'm his daughter as long as I wasn't lied to."

"Believe me, none of us had a clue either. It was an awkward dinner conversation. Anyway, my girlfriend is parking the car, do you want me to take your bag?" He asked as he reached for it.

I moved it away, "I got it, perfectly capable."

"So, uh, do you want to, uh go?" He jerked a thumb in the direction he came.

"I don't think I can stay in the airport forever sadly."

We started walking in silence as the sounds of the airport flowed around us. We headed for the door to the outside and he paused, "don't you have a jacket?"

"In my suitcase, I'm pretty tolerant to the cold. Came with living in the Cascades."

He nodded again and opened the door as the refreshing winter breeze blew through my tank top. I beamed as I opened my arms wide. Percy turned and caught me, "what are you doing?"

"Enjoying the little things, life is too short to let them pass bye. We're not all immortal so we have to enjoy it while we can."

He studied me for a moment as we entered the parking garage, "where did you get that from?"

"I dunno, several places. I kinda mash stuff together."

"Hey Seaweed-Brain! Over here! You find her yet!?" A girls voice echoed through the parking garage.

"Yes Wise-Girl, I'm not totally helpless!"

I snickered, initial judgement of Percy as my step-brother: socially awkward.

The girl came running up to the two of us had blonde hair and gray eyes. And I mean gray. Like typical Seattle cloudy weather gray. She looked at me up and down, "so you must be Paul's daughter? No offense, but it sounds really weird saying that."

"It's okay, weird for me to," I agreed with my eyes closed.

Annabeth studied me, "is your hair dyed or natural?"

"Natural. Not a fan of platinum blonde?"

"No, it's just a hair color I don't see as much," she said.

"Speak for yourself gray eyes."

"Point taken, c'mon, let's go to the car, Sally said Paul got home a few minutes ago and is nervous enough that he already threw up."

"By the way, uh, Isabella, this is my girlfriend Annabeth Chase. Annabeth, this is..."

"Izzy Frost, nice to meet you," I held out a hand.

She shook it as we continued walking to the blue prius. The trunk opened up I set my stuff inside of it. Percy ran towards the passenger door quickly but Annabeth stopped him, "no, you have homework, we know you won't do it if you sit up in the front. Let Izzy sit shotgun."

I giggled softly as Percy failed to state an acceptable reason for shotgun. He skunked into the backseat grumbling as he lifted up a stack of papers, "you just want to dissect her first don't you? She's my step-sister!"

"And she's also flown across the country and I'm not going to make her sit in the back."

I sat down in the passenger side as Annabeth slid into the drivers seat, "so Izzy, you ever been to New York before?"

"No, I've never really been past the Rockies."

"I think Manhattan will be a bit of a culture shock for you then."

The prius pulled up to the small parking lot, "this is it. You ready?"

"Are those hoofprints on the hood?" I tilted my head, it was something I had refrained from asking in fear of breaking the silence of the ride here.

Percy choked on something he was eating as Annabeth looked like I had just caught her hand in the cookie jar.

"There was an equestrian accident upstate. Percy thought he could jump the car with a horse from a higher angle. Didn't quite work out that way," Annabeth explained.

"Was the horse okay?"

"Yeah, it was. Uninjured actually," Percy spoke from the back as he slid to the door, shoving papers into textbooks.

I opened my door, empty bottle of lemonade in my free hand. This was it. I was going to meet my birth father. Why couldn't I live with my uncles in Quebec? I had a passport. My mother taught me French. I could manage it. I mean sure, the ice sculptures of home invaders would be a little troublesome.

I slowly eased out of the car, grabbing the bag that was by my feet. Annabeth popped the trunk as I shut my door to go grab my suitcase. Percy yawned as he stretched out. I pulled the suitcase out and softly closed the trunk. I sighed quietly and scuffed my shoes against the pavement. I really wish I could go back in time and stop all of this from happening. I wanted to be with my mother. But a godly asshole took that away for reasons that were never made clear to me.

Annabeth and Percy walked ahead of me before a door up the stairwell opened. A man walked out and quickly glanced down at us. He turned back inside, "Sally! They're back!"

A woman with a bloated belly came out. I guessed she was pregnant otherwise the distribution of body mass would have been different. So I'd be getting a half sibling. Great. Not only was I used to being an only child but I now had a Step-Brother, his probably stay at home girlfriend and a half sibling in the oven. I tried to picture how that would look, actually shoving a baby in an oven. That'd be something for a white card in Cards Against Humanity. Ever play that with dryads? They don't get raunchy very well.

"Hey Paul! Congratulations! It's a girl!" Percy smiled and waved. I kept my eyes down.

He chuckled, "come on in kids!" He ducked back inside.

Annabeth nudged my shoulder, "don't worry, none of us really know how to act. This is all so new."

"I'm used to being an only child, back home it was just my mom and me," I replied. Out of anyone I met so far, I think I'd talk with Annabeth the most. She seemed like someone who I could talk to. Percy seemed like a goofball and Paul just...well what teenager honestly talks to their parents about their problems. Admit it, we're all angsty deep inside.

I took the stairs two at a time, lifting the suitcase with ease. I blew a strand of hair from my face as I turned to keep heading up the stairs as my phone vibrated. I paused and took it out.

\Someone just broke into your house here\

I frowned and texted back,

/wait, what? Call the police or something!/

~MESSAGE NOT SENT~

I hit resend as the same message kept appearing. It happened sometimes. I shoved it in my pocket, I'd probably try and Skype chat with her later. Yay modern technology.

Sure, it would undoubtedly send out a sense to all monsters of a nearby demigod but when you deal with them long enough, you earn respect. They leave you alone if you leave them alone. That's what my mom taught me. Only fight when it's something you truly believe in or to protect those you care about.

I trudged up the stairs, Annabeth stayed by my side offering me a reassuring smile. I nervously returned it as we hit the final level. Percy stood awkwardly by the door, "uh, welcome home?"

Those weren't the right words to use and the look I gave him let him know that it wasn't how I viewed the place. Home was back west. Home was where my mother was. Home was where my former Celtic Goddess friend was. Home was not a small New York apartment. This was just temporary.

I thought about what Bridget had said, someone broke into my home. I wondered who it was. No one really ever stopped in Ashford unless they were staying the night outside Mount Rainier National Park. That was pretty much it. We were the gateway town to the park.

I stepped inside and looked around before I was wrapped in a giant bear hug, "can't...breathe..." I whispered. Me not being able to breath was saying something. I've been to the summit of Mount Rainier, that can be some heavy breathing. This however was worse. Enveloped in a bone crushing unwelcome hug that gave me oxygen deprivation by the father I never met.

He quickly let go, "uh sorry. I'm Paul but uh, you can call me dad if you want," he said with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

"Paul is fine."

He looked a little disappointed. What did he expect? Me to go running like a little girl into his waiting arms and squealing 'Daddy!' while I did it?

Nope. That was not my style. I never really cared for whom my dad was, I had my mom. Sure, she was a minor ancient Greek goddess but I still loved her. She spent most of her time with me. Taught me amazing things. Showed me how to make it snow and create ice. Made AMAZING ice cream and snow cones. But she was mom first, Khione second.

That's why this was going to be hard. Concealing my abilities in front of mortals. A lot of mortals.

He straightened up, "well, uh, this is my place. That's my wife Sally in the kitchen, you've already met Annabeth and Percy. The bathroom is the first door on the left, Sally and I's room is the second door on the left. Percy's is first on the right followed by yours and Annabeth's and the computer room slash baby room is the last one on the the right. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Is there anything you'd like for dinner? Favorite food or anything?"

It took me a second to process all the information, "um, I'm not really hungry right now. I kinda want to go to sleep."

He stood silent, "uh okay, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"I guess so. Good night Paul."

Percy watched as his new step sister slunked off to his girlfriend's room. She was certainly strange...and moody. Usually kids would be excited to meet a long lost parent but she seemed as if she didn't want to be here. Then again, her mom died a week ago so that might be part of the reason. He looked towards Annabeth who shrugged, "typically, she'd have to be at the airport two hours ahead of departure and then you add in flight time and layover times plus having to meet everyone? I'd choose sleep too."

"I guess you're right, I just expected her to be a bit more..." He began.

"Happy? Excited?" Paul suggested.

Percy nodded, "yeah, who was her mother, you never told us."

"Someone I knew and dated in high school. She was majoring in Environmental Studies with a targeted focus on Climate Change in the poles. She left not long after we split. I never heard from her again," Paul admitted, "she must have found out she was pregnant and decided not to tell me."

Sally put a hand on her husband's shoulder, "don't worry, we'll make this work. Besides, once Percy and Annabeth go to college, it'd be nice to have a babysitter in the house for two years."

"I want to get to know her but sixteen years is a lot to catch up on."

"These things take time, she might be a bit angry too, I know I was when I started talking to my dad again," Annabeth spoke up as she wandered to the fridge.

"So why can't Annabeth and I share a room?" Percy asked, trying to take innocence.

"Because mister, I do not want to be a grandmother this early. Plus I know you two might keep each other up all night. We got you separate rooms after winter break because your grades were slipping."

"I brought them back up. I just wish all these tests would be a bit easier," he grumbled.

"You have to study Seaweed Brain," Annabeth gave him a quick peck on the cheek as she walked by with a cinnamon roll in hand.

"It'd be easier if my girlfriend didn't make me worry all the time by going up to Boston every other week."

"Exscuse me for caring about my cousin."

"Hey you two, be quiet. Someone did just go to bed."

A thump responded from the back bedroom, "you alright?" Percy called.

A muffled and agitated reply was his response. Annabeth walked down the hallway and opened the door slightly, "oh jeez, hang on, let me help," she said before entering the room.

The Jackson-Blofis family looked at each other. Sally smiled, "think she fell off the bunk bed?"

"Probably," Percy answered.

"With out a doubt. Might be the size of the bed and if she tosses and turns alot..." Paul grimaced.

Annabeth poked her head out of the room, "Paul, where did you put the side bar? She's used to a queen size."

"I doubt this thing is even a full size," they faintly heard Izzy remark.

Annabeth turned back in to say something to Izzy.

Paul scratched his head, "I think we uh, used it for the bar stool. I'll pick up another one tomorrow from the hardware store."

Sally and Percy facepalmed as Annabeth and Izzy had some sort of exchange. The trio waited a moment before Izzy reappeared with her hair a mess. The girl fell asleep fast apparently it had a surprising ability of getting bed head within minutes.

"You okay? Fall out of the bed?" Percy asked.

Izzy glared at him quickly before slumping onto the couch. Eyes like slits. Her stomach rumbled audibly. Annabeth nodded, "she's not used to the city noise, we might need to pick up some foam or something."

"The occasional car or truck passing by is fine but the constant horn honking and profanity is a little much," the platinum blonde girl frowned as she threw her head back, "not to mention the twin sized bed is different."

"Well money is tight right now kiddo, we gotta make due. We got the twin bed for Percy's friends from his summer camp if they ever came over but so far it's just been Annabeth and...Lester," Sally hung her head.

"Summer camp? Sounds fun, my mom used to send me to one a few hours away. They had a pool and archery and a river running through the camp. That was the last time I slept on a bunk bed," Izzy grinned, "I almost shot a counselor on accident."

Percy and Annabeth gave each other a knowing look, "I wish we had a pool."

Izzy's stomach rumbled again. This time there was no escaping it, "what do you want for dinner kiddo?" Paul asked, worried he might somehow screw up.

Izzy looked at the ceiling, "enchiladas. Beef enchiladas. With Spanish rice and refried beans. Oh and chips and salsa!" Her feet moved in circles.

The family looked at each other before looking back at Izzy who looked confused.

"There isn't any Azteca around is there?"

"Gezuntite," Percy replied.

Izzy sighed, "spaghetti with no mushrooms?"

"That we can do, we only have blue noodles though," Sally smiled faintly, "or would you rather go out to eat?"

"Either way, I'm starving," Percy added.

Annabeth smacked his chest, "you're always starving."

Paul remained quiet as he picked up his keys, "all right, let's go to Olive Garden, I'm pretty sure any sauce to make here would take a while to make first."

"Sounds good, I've been to Olive Garden before."

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: It more of a reimagining of some of my previous work but i hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. -Jay