Kailey M. Lyons

Period 8

Navy Team

September 14th, 2010

The Reasons Why

"Two weeks passed and it happened again"

Please don't hate me for what I'm about to tell you, you'll understand soon enough.

I was lucky, you could say. I lived, I survived. All that stuff that they try to force down your throat to make the reality of the situation seem better. But the real reality of the situation, I was ten. Ten years old when I had to leave my mother in our creaky old house in Tennessee, ironically, when I was there I hated it. My mom's boyfriends and never-ending list husbands- and ex-husbands- who ignored me, my brat twin sister who I now miss more than I ever thought possible, and how much I hated my dad- my biological one- for how much he didn't care, well, there's something that hasn't changed, I suppose.

Now, I'm 16 years old, and I've been living in a shiny gold cabin, undetected with all my other half-siblings- eight to be exact- at this camp on Long Island for kids like me. Well some of them are like me, like I said, people said I was lucky, to have survived what I happened, and I know who I am- Alexander Phoebus Robins- son of the irresponsible, uncaring, surfer-boy god, Apollo, god of the sun, music, prophecies, medicine and poetry. and the beautiful southern singer, Sue Robins. I'm a rare year-round camper here since, after all, who would I be going home to? I see my sister every now and then, but not as much as I'd like.

My best friend, Lux O'Malley, -who's name I always found amusing, I could've told him right of the bat with that kind of name there was no way he was all-human- has been crammed into the Hermes Cabin for just over nine years, he lives with his aunt, since his mother wasn't as "lucky" as I was.

He's one of the unclaimed demigods, one of the children of some god or goddess too absorbed in themselves to care about their children and how they feel. Since Lux was 7, he's been at camp, which- to be blunt- is just inexcusable. One or two months is enough torture, the wondering, the waiting, but nine years? No way is that right.

So that's my new life, with my new family- who I love, don't get me wrong- but still, you can't blame me hating my dad's guts.

You might have been wondering why I hate him, after all, he claimed me my first day, didn't he? Doesn't that mean he loves me? And, sure, I'd get the occasional present from my father, like all of his kids. Ha! As if the occasional bow or unlimited GB iPod will make up for his abandonment.

No, that doesn't matter, after everything that's happened, no one critiques me about my hating Apollo, not even the sun god himself! It hurts him, I know, and I

won't deny that slight guilty-nausea that builds in me after I give him the "cold shoulder."...but that doesn't change anything.

But, you may ask, what was so bad that caused me to hate him so much? Let me tell you the dramatic sob story that is my life...

~6 YEARS EARLIER~

A young woman busied herself around a victorian-style home, picking up anything that looked out of place, and hurrying along, popping in and out of rooms until she finally fell back onto a velvet couch, her brown hair spreading out across a pillow. This woman is, Sue Robins, she sighed with contentment and closed her eyes, inhaling the quiet. Until she heard her front door burst open, she let out a gush of air, Nice while it lasted. She thought.

"Momma! Alex hit me!" She heard her daughter yelp, she smiled comfortingly at her daughter, Alex's sister, Addison Robins. She then turned and glared at her son, Alex, who was now glowering accusingly at Addy.

"Alex, is that true?" Sue questioned, Alex gawked letting out a huff of air to blow his curly blonde bangs out of his eyes.

"No, Momma- Addy's lying!" Sue narrowed her eyes, and Alex gave in, the way only a mother can make her child.

"Yeah, fine, I did. But she started it!" Alex defended himself, waving his hands in the air as if to prove his point. Sue smiled inwardly, and she heard the back door swing open, it was Dan Johnson, Sue's husband.

"Susie! I'm home." Alex rolled his azure eyes. Sue glared half-heartedly at him, true she found it adorable at first when he was so protective, but when he put a raccoon in one of her boyfriend's pants when he wasn't paying attention- she still had no idea where he even got a raccoon- she'd had enough.

"Hi, Danny!" She smiled, pecking him on the lips, Addy smiled and Alex gagged, sticking his tongue out dramatically.

"Hey, Addy, Alex," Addy didn't notice and returned his greeting, but Alex simply crossed his arms. Sure when his mom was there he was all 'Oh hey, squirts, how was school?' but then suddenly he goes all 'Get out of the way, your blocking the T.V!'...Alex envied Cinderella, at least she had people who believed her step-parent was evil! Even his sister had tricked herself into obliviousness.

There was one or two things Alex didn't absolutely hate about Dan, one, since demigods historically attract a lot of attention of monsters, like ancient Greek mythological monsters. But actually, unlike most of his mother's boyfriends and so on, he stuck around after the first couple of monster attacks. Alex was always confused on whether or not he was brave enough to stay with his mother and tough out all the monster attacks, or was too stupid to not be able to piece the facts together. That it wasn't a freak animal attack at Addy and Alex's school that nearly took out the entire east wing. I mean sure, the Mist is a powerful thing, but you'd think he'd eventually piece together something or another, who's really that gullible.

Lately, though, his mother had grown even more harried and nervous. Checking under all the couches as she cleaned, sending Dan out to buy more locks for the doors every time something unexplainable or scary happens. Alex and Addy knew, despite their young age and innocence, that all of the attacks that had been happening lately weren't normal. He couldn't remember this many attacks happening to them before, was something wrong?

Later on that night, Alex was munching on some potato chips, watching Class of the Titans, on TV when he suddenly felt a nervous chill pass down his back.

"Momma?" He called, standing up and looking around.

"Yeah, honey?"

"I have that weird feeling again!" Alex heard something clatter to the floor as his mother rushed into the room, she immediately put her hands against her son's soft skin,

"Are you sure, baby?" She whispered, looking over to her daughter who was now asleep on the couch. Alex nodded, worriedly. His mother seemed quite aware of what he was talking about, and nodded.

"Upstairs, sweetie." She instructed.
"But, Momma, I-"
"Now, Alex!" Sue ordered, Alex nodded and scampered up the stairs. Sue walked over to her daughter, shook her and pushed her up the stairs as well.

Alex was scared, scared and worried for his family and mother. He knew he sensed another monster, he never knew why these things happened to them, all he knew was that it only happened to them. He heard some mumbling down stairs, he was shocked when he heard a clear ringing voice of a young man. Dan was already asleep in his room.

Who could it be? Alex wondered. He quietly tip-toed over to the door and peeped his eye through the door. He could just make out the words they were saying.