A/N: Hello. I originally published this story back in December, but I'm now republishing it. I hope you guys enjoy it, and please remember to review. Thanks! Also, please note that my beta has not yet looked this over, so excuse any errors.

Murder and Mythology

By WordsxOfxWisdom

Disclaimer: I do not own PJO or HOO

Chapter 1:

Sometimes, I wish I weren't a demigod. I wish I could forget about quests and prophecies and gods and monsters.

But you can't run from what you are. There's no escaping it because it will catch up with you eventually no matter what.

It comes down to this: you've got to accept what you are and make the best of it. Whether you like it or not, this is your life; live it.

My name is Olivia Lancaster. Olivia Caitlin Lancaster, to be exact. I'm fourteen years old, and I live in New York City with my dad, Ethan Lancaster.

My life has been…strange, to say the least. My mom left Dad and me when I was a baby, and I have ADHD and dyslexia. But honestly, I think that was the least of my problems. Things always happened to me that I really can't explain. When I was seven, I swear my art teacher melted into the shadows. And when I was about ten, I ran into a man in an alley who I'm pretty sure had only one eye…

See what I mean? Strange things I can't explain. Then again, I guess it's not so much the stuff you can't explain you should be afraid of; it's what you CAN explain. Because let me tell you, once you actually UNDERSTAND all that stuff, it gets a whole lot more dangerous.

xXxXx

The night before Memorial Day, Dad took me out to dinner at DeLuca's, an Italian restaurant in downtown Manhattan. I've always loved DeLuca's, being quite fond of Italian food. Unfortunately, it was a rather expensive restaurant, so I rarely got to go there. But with Dad, that was probably bad news.

We sat down at our table and ordered our food and drinks. A chicken parmesan and lemonade for me and seafood primavera and a glass of Merlot for Dad. Throughout the meal, Dad was mostly silent. Finally towards the end, he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Oh," Dad said nonchalantly, scooting his completely empty plate to the side, "By the way, we'll be going over to Teresa's house on Monday."

I stared confused, as I set my fork down, "Teresa? Who's she? Someone from work?"

He chuckled, "No, Liv, Teresa Gardner, my girlfriend."

I practically choked on a spaghetti noodle, "Your WHAT?"

"My girlfriend," Dad said giving me an odd look.

I scowled, "No. You're…Dad. You're MY dad. You shouldn't be dating!" To be honest, I was furious. Dad, MY dad, Ethan Lancaster….a GIRLFRIEND? He wasn't exactly the romantic type…

Dad just fixed me with this sad look, "I know...But Sweetie, I think sometimes you get so wrapped up in your idea of me as your dad, you forget that I have a life and feelings too. Let's face it Hon, you're fourteen and you've never known what it's like to have a mom."

"Well then maybe I don't need to," I protested, "I mean, I've gone most of my life without one-"

Dad interrupted me, "No. Olivia, a girl needs a mom. Someone to talk to when she has problems."

"But I can talk to you," I pleaded, "Don't I already?"

He shook his head, "I know Olivia. We're a lot closer than most dads and daughters. But I think you need to know what it's like to have a mom in your life. Someone to paint your nails, to go shopping with, you know. Besides, I've got horrible fashion taste." He grinned at me and my gut twisted. That was Dad. He would go and make you hate him, then turn around and be the funniest, most charming guy ever. It was gonna kill me. But I could see why my mom, whoever she was, had fallen for him.

"Well what if I don't WANT a Mom!" I said sharply. I was so angry...so frustrated. Obviously there was a reason why my mom was, well, my mom, even if she left Dad and I. My mom, whoever she was, was the only mom I ever wanted. It made me so mad that she left but I'll admit that sometimes I imagined what she was like. I even made-up names for her. She always looked like me, having black hair and turqouise blue eyes. I often wondered if she really did look like me...

Dad sighed, "I understand how you feel, Olivia. But please, just give Teresa a chance, okay? You might like her." He reached across the table and began stroking my hand.

"For me, Liv?" he asked softly.

"Fine," I grumbled, picking at the remains of my meal, "Just don't expect me to like her."

xXxXx

Most of the time, on Monday mornings, it takes me at least twenty minutes to drag my butt out of bed and get ready for school. But that Monday, a day that I didn't actually have to catch the bus, I laid there for forty-five minutes before deciding I at least had to get up.

This by no means meant I was going to get dressed, leave the house or go see this 'Teresa' lady.

Unfortunately, Dad had other ideas.

As soon as I stepped out of my bedroom, he bombarded me. He looked nice, kind-of roguishly handsome, like an action movie hero. His chocolate brown hair was brushed neatly, and he wore a polo shirt and jeans.

But he wore a very un-Dad-like grin, like suddenly everything about his life was perfect.

"Come on Olivia, you got to get ready! Teresa lives about an hour away in a town called West Alexandria, so we'll need to leave in a little while….Isn't this great? I know you're going to love her kids!"

My gut twisted. Kids, "Dad…She has kids? How many?"

He grinned, "Six. Four girls, two boys."

With that, all my hopes and dreams of actually liking Teresa Gardner disappeared.

xXxXx

Spending an hour in the car with one of the people you would LEAST like to be with can traumatize you.

In this case, though, the trauma of spending an hour sitting in the car, listening to my iPod and pretending to be excited about meeting Teresa and the Kids (as I now thought of them) was nothing compared to what I endured after we arrived at the Gardner house.

First off, the house itself was enough to make me gag. It was perfect. A huge whitewash mansion with a beautifully polished cobblestone driveway that had a gorgeous fountain bubbling in the center and was lined with neatly pruned trees. It had a beautiful garden growing in the front; roses, tulips and all other kinds of flowers in full bloom, a mixture of vibrant beautiful pinks, purples and yellows. A nice wooded area stood at the back of the house.

Dad and I walked up to the door, a large heavy oak one with a fancy doorknob, and it flew open. A woman stepped out onto the little stone porch and grinned at us. Picture Sarah Jessica Parker's face on Betty Boop's body and that was what she looked like. Her hair was a bit darker, her skin a bit lighter, but she had the same look. She wore a plain white shirt that fit her in all the right places, low-rise jeans that hugged her hips and a pair of nice black leather sandals. Her nails were all painted wild colors, and I could see her toes peeping out from under her bellbottom jeans; she was wearing toe rings.

The lady threw her arms around Dad and gave him a big hug. It was the same 'hey, how's it going, how 'ya been?' stuff as always, but soon it was a make-out fest. I shifted uncomfortably as I realized the woman was Teresa. She didn't look like a mom, much less MY mom. And I was determined not to like her, no matter what.

"Ahem," I said, clearing my throat.

Dad and Teresa fell out of their lip lock and turned to face at me.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there, Hon," Teresa said, smiling at me.

"Teresa," Dad beamed, "This is my daughter, Olivia. Liv, this is Teresa Gardner, my girlfriend."

She grinned, "Call me Teresa, please. Mrs. Gardner is my ex-husband's mother."

"Okay," I muttered, "Teresa."

She giggled, yes, giggled, and Dad and she walked inside, leaving me standing awkwardly on the porch. I groaned and followed them grudgingly.

Inside, the house was just as impeccable. The carpet was nice and clean; a pristine white. Nothing even looked remotely touched by the hands of someone under forty years. The elegant decorations were all perfectly in place, and there was no 'junk' in sight.

And this lady had SIX kids?

"I'm sure Olivia will love the kids," Teresa chirped as she, Dad and I walked to the backyard.

Dad grinned, "Oh definitely. You'll love them, Olivia, don't be worried at all."

"Yeah," I muttered, following them onto a huge patio in the back. It had a beautiful tile pattern done on the concrete and even a swimming pool. There was nice black wood patio furniture on it too.

Six kids sat at the picnic table, which had a bowl of chips and a smaller bowl of salsa. The oldest kid was a girl who looked to be about sixteen, and the youngest were VERY identical twins who looked about six or so.

"These are my children," Teresa said, grinning at me.

She nodded to the oldest girl, the one who seemed about sixteen, "This is my eldest daughter Thyme." Thyme nodded to me and we greeted each other. She seemed a very maternal person, probably since she was the oldest, which made sense.

Next, she gestured to the second child, a boy my age with curly brown hair and green eyes, "My next child, my oldest son Forrest." Forrest smirked at me and I instantly knew we wouldn't get along. He looked like the kind-of person who would put shaving cream up your nose while you slept.

Teresa then nodded to the next two children, a black haired and green eyed boy and girl, "My older twins, Dmitri and Rose." They both smiled at me but said nothing; the two looked about nine or so, maybe older, maybe younger.

Lastly Teresa indicated the super identical twins with brown hair and eyes, who immediately bounded up and clamored around her.

"And my two youngest girls and second set of twins, Lilly and Laurel," Teresa said in between laughs.

The twins looked up at me then giggled at each other. They were adorable, but something about them screamed mischief.

"Hey," I muttered.

The oldest girl, Thyme, grinned at me, "Hi!"

"Ethan!" one of the little twin girls squealed, running up to Dad and hugging him.

Dad chuckled and hugged her back, "Hey there Lil! Sorry you had to miss me!" I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. The girls looked almost exactly the same, and they wore the same clothes too. How in the world could he tell them apart?

"Ethan!" the other little twin girl-Laurel, I assumed-squealed, "I want a turn!"

"Oh, come here Laurel, you can have a turn too!" Dad said, scooping her up too.

Teresa turned to me and smiled, "Maybe you and Thyme could take the twins on a walk in the woods later, after we eat."

I nodded, a bit dazed by all that was going on around me, "Yeah, sure."

"Teresa," Dad said, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek, "Makes a mean guacamole."

"Oh Ethan," Teresa gushed, "My guacamole isn't that good…"

Dad pulled Teresa closer and they fell into a deep kiss. Lilly and Laurel slid out of Dad's arms and raced around the backyard. I practically gagged in my mouth. I'd only been there for a half-hour, but I was sick-SICK-of the Gardners. How could they just act like this whole thing was no big deal when everything had changed?

My eyes began to well with tears as I walked off into the little woods.

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed it! I'm already working on the second chapter so look for that to be coming soon! Thanks for reading!