We had been hiking non stop for two days and my legs were starting to feel like lead. I looked over at Holly, who was carrying her brother on her back, and saw her knees were shaking.
"I can take him for a while if you want," I said, though I didn't feel like I could carry anything.
Holly's arms tightened around Eugene's legs and focused her eyes so that she looked more determined, " I don't need help."
"It's okay to accept help now and then."
"I have lasted this long with taking care of me and him on my own. I will last the next few days."
I nodded, there was no point in arguing, " how long have you been without your mom?"
"Mama died last December. Christmas." She said simply, almost as if to shrug it off but her silver eyes grew dark and I knew that even with that monster dead her mom's death would haunt her forever.
It was silent from then on, only the small snores from a sleeping Eugene to break the quiet.
Annabeth had heard the sound of a highway near by so she decided that if we wanted to catch a ride we'd better start hitchhiking so we did.
We held out our thumbs and a few cars stopped by saying that they would help us but there were just too many kids on top of their already present passengers. Others gave us some spare change and a few apples and blankets which we took gratefully. But as the sun set we hiked back into the trees to find a place to sleep.
"We'll find a bus or train to New York tomorrow," Annabeth said, more to herself then the rest of us.
"Yeah," I agreed.
Something hooted in the distance and Eugene shrinked back into his sister's arms, we couldn't start a fire because that was basically sending up a flare saying Come get us monsters! We're tasty! But I could see her hold tighten around him.
"It is okay," she whispered and messed up his hair half heartedly but that did nothing to stop the boy's shaking.
"Tell me a story," he said, " like the one Mama used to tell."
There was a long pause and then, "... I don't think so."
"Please!" Eugene said.
"Well.. Alright," she gave in, "once upon of time, there were gods. Big ones that controlled the sky and the sea, but also small ones that controlled fire and ice. These gods loved to travel and when they did they fell in love with humans."
I wondered how a Mom could tell her kids all of this, my Mom didn't, but then again they were so young the story was probably just.. Well a story.
"When they did, they had kids, just like you and me but stronger or cleverer than normal kids. Remember that movie we watched Eugene, the one we used to watch all the time? Hercules. Hercules was a son of Zeus."
"He's my hero," Eugene said.
Holly smiled but the light didn't reach her eyes, "when you grow up Eugene you will be just like him. Now get some rest."
Eugene protested but then he yawned and snuggled deeper into his blanket.
"Mama used to tell us about the gods every night." Holly said, her head leaned against the tree.
"They're real you know," Grover said, "Percy is a son of Poseidon, Annabeth is a daughter of Athena." He said.
"Mama told us of a place we would need to go when we got older. She called it Camp Half-Blood. That is where you take us now?" Holly didn't seemed at all phased.
We all nodded.
"Will I know my father?" She asked, her voice soft like she was about to fall asleep.
"Hopefully, not all the gods get around to claiming their children." Annabeth said.
"I understand," she said, her eyes closed, "if I do not get claimed then that is fine. If brother doesn't get claimed... I will not be happy." She fell asleep.
"I'll keep watch," I said, "you guys get some sleep."
Annabeth gave a half hearted attempt to argue but she soon followed Holly's example.
I couldn't imagine not being claimed, to live in the Hermès cabin and have no idea who my Olympian parent was. Holly gave up so much for her brother, that even if he got claimed and she didn't, she would still be happy for him. I thought about the way she screamed and shook the ground, making everything in the dining room splinter and shatter.
Who could her Olympian parent be? It had to be someone strong, she could have been a child of Aphrodite, the way she loved her brother so deeply, but Aphrodite didn't make the earth shake like that. Poseidon could make the earth shake, and Hades, but besides me and Thalia, there were no other children of the Big Three.
Even if Poseidon broke his oath for the second time, in my last meeting with him he almost seemed sad by the fact that I had a Hero's story, I doubted he would have another child. But would Hades care if he broke the pact? He seemed pretty mad when he had found out that both of his brothers had broken their oath, as if he would never dream of it.
Who knows, but there was no point in thinking about that now, hopefully she will be claimed and everything will be cleared.
Grover stirred beside me, being a Satyr he can sense emotions, mine must have been conflicting.
"Whatcha thinking about?" He said sleepily.
"Nothing," I said, "go back to sleep."
"Mmkay." He yawned and turned over.
I started to doze after an hour or so, but then something shook me awake, it was Holly.
"Bad dream..." She croaked, shaken up.
"What was it about?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
"Him." She pointed to Grover, "he went looking for someone, but he was trapped.. I did not know what to do. I couldn't move.." She flexed her fingers as if to check that she wasn't in the dream.
I thought back, when Grover got back from our quest, the Council of Cloven Elders, allowed him to get his searcher's license to look for Pan. The God of the Wild.
".. it was just a dream." I said, more convincing myself then her.
She nodded though there was a look in her silver eyes that told me she didn't trust my judgement. After searching my face for any sort of lie, she seemed satisfied enough and went back to her tree. Eugene was spread eagle on the ground and she gathered him up and went back to sleep.
A: Me again, I'm having so much fun writing this! If you are enjoying this please leave a review and tell me what you think!
P.S. I realized how late I was to the Percy Jackson party, but to be fair the first book came out when I was like six and I had no idea fan fic exsisted. Oh to be young and innocent.
-Maddie
