Smiling, I handed the cab driver the required money. He drove off, and I walk up the steps to Billy's house. I knock on the hard wooden door and stare out at the ever-comforting ocean as I wait for him to answer.

Billy opens the door. He smiles widely and beckons me in, wrinkles around his eyes that made me feel nine years younger.

No. Ten years. Today was my birthday. I was turning 16. The dreaded one-six of the demigods.

My half-brother, Percy Jackson, had well... practically saved the world at the age of 16. Since I was a daughter of the Big Three, what apocalyptic quest would I be given?

"Happy birthday, Alison," Billy jerks me out of my end-of-the-world thoughts. "Sixteen, right?"

I nod. "Thanks for remembering, Uncle Billy."

He shakes his head. "Billy. Uncle makes me sound old," he smiles as if sharing an inside joke with himself. "Let's go see your room."

I haul my suitcase with me as I tighten the grip on my backpack, following Billy. He gestures to a room in the corridor. "Go ahead."

A beautiful room, with bright, aquamarine walls, the windows facing the churning ocean, sky blue curtains draping over, a bench under the window, waits for me, the dark blue comforter of the bed soft and fluffed. "Wow, Billy. This room is for me?"

"Yes. I know you like blue... am I right?" I laugh.

"Oh, you're more than right." I was glad I could see the ocean right through the window. It was easy enough to climb through. "Thanks."

"Yes, well, nothing is too much for my niece. Now go and change. Shower's across the hall. We're eating dinner at Emily's."

I took a quick shower and changed into an outfit I just grabbed randomly from my suitcase, blue skinny jeans with a black tank top over a silvery crop top.

As I slid on my ring, somebody knocks on my door. "Come in." I mumble, and Jacob pushes the door open.

"Happy birthday, cousin!" He hugs me. I choke.

"Let go, you're choking me!" I gasp. He immediately loosens his grip. Pulling away, he smiles, and then tightens up.

"W-we should go." He murmured. I barely pull on a jacket before Jacob grabs my arm and pulls me out of the room.

At Emily's house, she opens the door with welcome arms. "Hi, Alison! Oh, you're so big!"

As I get another death squeeze, I manage, "Great to see you, Emily!"

She pulls away and glances at my arm. Four long scratches run down my right arm, from my shoulder to a bit past my elbow. Emily touches it gingerly. "What happened?"

I purse my lips. I couldn't tell Emily a monster scratched me. Plus, I had no idea which monster did that.

"I, uh... it was a long time ago. I don't remember." I curse myself for not healing myself with nectar or ambrosia.

Emily looks hesitant, but pulls me into the backyard. "Time to meet everybody."

At a table, a group of mostly guys-and one girl-sit laughing and chatting. Sam-Emily's fiancée-meets her and wraps his arm around her waist. "Hello, Alison. Long time no see."

"I could say the same," I murmur, suddenly remembering when Chiron had sent me on a Pegasus to examine this area just several weeks before I came. No monsters came after me so I'd left to tell Chiron pretty quickly.

He nods and gestures to the group. I blink and walk towards them. Sam introduces me, "This is Alison Taylor, Billy's niece. She'll be living with Billy."

I smile the best I could summon, strike a more relaxed pose and say, "Hey."

Everybody introduces himself or herself. Jacob-obviously-Embry, Paul, Quil, Jared, Leah. When it settles on a boy-maybe 16, 17?-with black hair and brown eyes, chocolate brown eyes, he glances at me. The laughter leaves his face. Not as if he's depressed, angry, or hated me. More like... surprise. His mouth hangs open, ready to say something. Nothing comes out. Paul slaps him. "Seth!" he hissed. Or growled.

Seth shakes his head. "Sorry. I'm er-Seth."

I smile. Seth sucks in a ragged breath. "Hi." I say, and walk to the cooler. I plunge my hand into the icy water as I fish out a water bottle, and stare at the condensation wetting my hand.

Sam stands next to Emily with his eyes closed, and Jacob glares at Seth. Leah bites her lip and stares at her brother. Seth stands, and throws everybody a glance that said, Back off. Now. Then with that, he says a quick bye to us and leaves, but the wrong way. He jumps over the fence, and into the woods.

I reach into my pocket and twist a drachma in my fingers.

"So, it's your birthday, right?" Jacob asks.

"Yeah. You know that."

Jacob points at Paul. "I told you she was 16!"

"I never said I was 16," I murmur quietly. "Even if I am."

I sit next to Jacob quietly for the next couple hours, eat a cheeseburger quickly, and finish off three water bottles. I pop a crushed Lay's chip into my mouth, the salt pushing me to take another long gulp of the refreshing water.

Seth never returned. I wanted to at least talk to him, to look into his chocolate brown eyes and ask him what's wrong. But no. He must've gone home, because Leah seemed to become less and less worried as I saw her walk to her house. Before she disappeared into the distance, I heard the howl. The long distressing howl of one single, one lone wolf.