Bad Jackie, bad Jackie! Shame on you for starting a new story without updating or finishing an older story! I know, I know. I shouldn't do this. But I wanted to get the first chapter of this story out there at least. I've been trying to get back into the habit of writing and so I started with a somewhat fresh idea, aka a sequel to an already finished story.

So here's the first chapter of the sequel since I've tried to get back into writing. Hope you enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians series or the Heroes of Olympus series or any of its characters. I only own my characters such as Jaycee Carter, Drew Carter, Meg Andrews, etc.

CHAPTER ONE

When I was growing up, I always wanted to be anything but normal. I wanted to be different, not just another person walking through the halls of just another school. I didn't want to be that girl that everybody knew by name, or the girl that, every time you see her, you think you're meeting her for the first time. I never wanted to fit in, or be one in the crowd. I wanted to stand out; to be unique, to be someone you couldn't forget.

Now, though, I find myself wishing I was normal again. That I could just blend in with the people who surrounded me, that I could be just another person walking the halls of just another school. But I'm not.

They say normal is just a word, but for me, it's an impossible fantasy.

My name is Jaycee Dawn Carter, and I wish I was normal.

It's been over a year since his decision. It hadn't even been a day since the final battle of the Giant War. I was exhausted. I was worn down. I was riddled with scars, both physically and emotionally. But I still managed to find enough energy to check up on my brother. I always had enough energy to do that.

He was currently living the impossible. He was living every demigod's fantasy. But he didn't remember his brief time spent with the real world. He'd been stripped of the godly blood in him, as his dying wish. No, he hadn't been dying, not really. But he had been dying on the inside, in his mind and in his soul. He had quickly been possessed by something that twisted his thoughts and made him do unthinkable things, but he was still a good person in the end. He won his battle. But now…now he doesn't remember, because he is no longer that person.

He is now Andrew Carter, son of Scott and Susie Carter, older brother to Jace Carter...only Jace Carter. Jaycee Carter, well, in his mind she is only a figment of his imagination, someone he had made up as a child and quickly forgot. He currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with his fiancé Brinna Kerri, a nice local girl who he had met at Starbucks when she accidentally spilled her coffee all over him.

I quickly made my way from the Apollo Cabin to the horse stables. I passed a lot of campers who looked about the same as me. Exhausted. But they were all headed for their cabins not away from them. It had only been a few days since the Romans and us Greeks had made our peace, but it hadn't come without a price. Both sides suffered so many losses. My half-brother Levi was now dead, along with my sweet little half-sister Andrea. There were others, like Lou Ellen from Hecate, that one kid who's always sleeping, and others that I now wished I'd had the time to get to know better who all died in battle. Connor had come close to dying, very close. He was lucky that I got there before the scarecrow-looking Roman made the final strike. Travis may have a permanent limp, and Katie's hair is much, much shorter than normal, along with a new scar running from her shoulder to her wrist, on both arms. But they had all lived, and that's what mattered to me. No matter how many bruises, scars, or any other, more permanent damage…as long as my friends, my half-siblings, and my Camp survive, I'm happy.

At least he didn't have to witness this…at least he didn't have to go through this…I just wish he could've been here afterward to comfort me like he used to before he forgot. Before he changed his life.

I was in the stables now. I quickly made my way to the pure white Pegasus. I stroked her soft mane before directing her outside, where I could take off and head for Nashville. Vienna (Percy told me this was the Pegasus's real name, not the stupid one the Aphrodite Cabin had given it) was used to these trips by now, seeing as she was the only Pegasus I ever rode on. I had taken a ride on Blackjack once, but we both had agreed not to do it again. It had been a one-time thing that ended very unpleasantly. Guess that's what happens when you allow the horse to make a stop for donuts. But that's a different story.

I led Vienna out of the stables and hopped on her back as my boyfriend, Connor Stoll, rushed up to me.

"Where are you going?" He called. He looked exhausted. His curly light brown hair was in a mess, his usually bright blue eyes lacked that playful spark, and there were noticeable bags under his eyes, telling me very clearly he either hasn't been getting much sleep or demigod dreams were getting to him.

I gave Connor a look, the one I reserved for anytime my brother was brought into conversation. Connor gave me a look of understanding in return and told me to wait while he tagged along. I gave up protesting long ago. Even if I said 'no', Connor would just wait until I left to follow me there, so there was no use. Vienna was a bit skittish while we were waiting for Connor to return. Once he finally returned with one of the pegasi, I told Vienna where we were going and she took flight, Connor right behind us.

The flight was hours long and was rode in an exhausted silence. By the time they had landed on solid ground again, Connor had fallen asleep against the Pegasus he was riding. I hopped off of Vienna and strode over to Connor's Pegasus. I shook Connor's shoulder.

"Hey, Connor? I may not speak horse like Percy, but I'm pretty sure that he doesn't want you drooling all over him," I told him before starting off for the sidewalk. I heard a thud and a groan that I could only assume was Connor. I told Vienna to stay nearby and to listen for my call when we were ready to leave. I didn't know whether or not she understood, but she and the other Pegasus flew off somewhere.

"So," Connor yawned as he caught up with me, dusting himself off. "Where is he this time?"

I turned to the streets and glanced around. "I'd check the Starbucks first. He always stops there before and after work. Then he and Brinna either go to the movies or to their apartment," I told him immediately, praying to the Fates that they hadn't changed their habits. Connor rubbed at his eyes, pushing away his exhaustion and grabbing my hand. He held my hand tight in his, afraid to let go, afraid that if he let go for just a single second something may happen and I'd end up dead. It was a fear we shared, a fear that caused me to grip his hand tighter than he held mine. I could feel the eyes of passer-by staring at us as we hurried on our way. I could feel the haunting shadows within my mind that would clearly be displayed through my eyes so soon after the battles. They were the type of shadows that scared others away, that told them something terrible happened to you; the type of shadows that raised the question "are you alright" and was always met with "I'm fine, really".

Connor was eyeing the people on the streets around us, obviously nervous and still slightly hyped on adrenaline from the battle. I proceeded to push open the doors with a little too much force, startling the middle-aged woman closest to the door. A young man, vaguely familiar, glanced up from the corner of the room. He stared at me with wide-eyes, confusion, apprehension, and a flicker of curiosity alight in his light brown eyes. It looked as though he may have even recognized me. I held his gaze for a moment, a second too long, and dashed out of the building. Connor was pulled along, doing his best to weave around the people I rudely shoved aside. I just had to escape him and get back to Camp Half-Blood. Risking a glance over my shoulder and past Connor, I could just make out Drew expertly moving through people and apologizing to them as he pursued us. I tugged Connor along faster, turning quickly into an alleyway. I crouched in the shadows, practically throwing Connor against the brick wall of the building beside us, and watched as Drew stumbled forward. He paused, looked up and down the street, and scratched the back of his neck in confusion.

"I could've sworn…" I heard him mumble as he walked back to Starbucks, occasionally glancing over his shoulder in our direction. Connor let out a breath beside me.

"Warn a guy before you make him run a mile next time," Connor complained, but I ignored him. Casually—and hopefully calmly—I made my way back down the street. I was slower, kept closer to the shadows or entered a large group of people, so as not to be spotted by the ever-curious Drew.

Drew now hung outside the Starbucks building, waiting. I couldn't tell if he was waiting for me or someone else. Connor and I hung back, with me keeping my back to Drew. Connor discreetly watched him and talked to me about random things, trying to seem casual to anyone who might be watching.

"So, how are you? Really?" Connor asked. There was concern evident in his voice, enough so that if someone happened to be listening in that, even though it sounded like a nonchalant question, he was completely serious about wanting an honest answer, wanting to know how I really was feeling. The concern in his eyes—which flickered between me and over my shoulder to my brother—was immensely more than simple genuine curiosity. Connor had been through war before, I reminded myself; this is his second go at it.

"Exhausted, worried, nervous, on-edge," I listed, and a sigh escaped my lips. My eyes closed briefly and my head drooped. I thought of small little Andrea, barely ten years old, stepping in front of an army of Romans, hell-bent on protecting her home and family; my half-brother Levi, always the silent comfort, sacrificing himself for Eliana, a daughter of Iris whom he'd had a crush on for years; Lou Ellen—who had taken an interest in Connor that I hadn't appreciated—saving me from death by Cyclops. I recalled the triumphant smile on her face as she turned to me and the horror that quickly replaced my joy and relief of being alive faster than I could blink or say "look out". Another monster had replaced the Cyclops the instant Lou turned to look at me…a hellhound, who had bit Lou Ellen in half before I even had the chance to react.

I wrenched my eyes open and I felt a cool wetness on my cheeks. I had started to cry. Now people were really staring. Some threw accusing looks at Connor, who wiped away tears with the hand that wasn't tightly wrapped around mine. He squeezed my hand tight and kissed my forehead as he pulled me close. "Let's just go home now," Connor suggested, his voice soft against my ears. I could feel myself becoming numb. My sister once told me I was emotionally stunted, and, not for the first time in my life, I agreed. As much pain I felt, as much loss pulled at my heartstrings and left aching pains in my chest, I felt nothing but an endless numbing sensation. Connor must've taken my silence for a yes because I felt my feet take several steps forward till we reached a back alley and Connor called for the pegasi.

The ride back to Camp Half-Blood was once again a ride in silence, but not one of exhaustion. It was a silent of a different kind. The silence you find yourself in after a terrible trauma and people can only muster insignificant condolences and you have no idea what to say. The silence that darkness greets you with when you wake from a nightmare. A cool silence that settled like ice over your skin on the coldest day of the year. The calming effect of the silence cradled me like a small child and I slumped forward, closing my eyes. I wanted so desperately to stay awake, knowing all too well what would await me on the other side if I dared close my eyes.

But my eyelids felt like weights. They drooped low over my eyes, trying desperately to keep them open to no avail. My eyes closed and my mind drifted somewhere in the future, possibly the past, where hell-on-Earth awaited everyone.

Be sure to leave a comment/review of your thoughts. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, flames are accepted but not read with a smile.

~Teen Author