A/N: I told you I'd update! I just realized that I can't update tomorrow, because I have to do a French sketch, so I'll update again today! I used BlueTrident102's character Zena.

Hannah's POV

When we arrived at Sally's and Paul's I was surprised not to see Percy there, but then I remembered that it was Nico's birthday (which meant it was mine too…), which meant it was summer, so he was probably at camp. Of course, they greeted Nico like he was their own son and then just stared at Elaine and I.

After what felt like hours Sally ran towards me and hugged me so tight I couldn't breathe.

She pointed out three little girls sitting the couch. They couldn't be more than two. "That is Zena Fenton, we think she's a daughter of Zeus. She's here on a play date with the two other little girls. We adopted them shortly after you left. Their names are Abigail and Isabelle," she said, pointing out which one was which. I was happy for them for adopting new kids, but I couldn't help feeling replaced. The girls were twins, like me, and had curly blonde hair, like me.

I found myself staring at them until Nico elbowed me, telling me that Sally was waiting for me to say something.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" I lied.

"We left your room the way you left it. We haven't touched anything that belonged to you. We just put a border down the middle and painted one side green. We didn't want their room to be black. We always thought you might come back, so we kept your side black. I wanted to paint their side pink, but as soon as they could talk they told us they hated it. They're a lot like you…" her voice trailed off. I wonder what she was thinking about.

Oh, how wonderful. Another thing those brats have in common with me.

"Well, I guess I'll just go and change in to something that doesn't make me want to strangle myself. Ugh stupid dress." Nico laughed again, enjoying my misery.

I walked into my room and closed the door. Oh, the joys of having 'parents' that let you paint your room black and wear only black clothes. I changed into what I would wear on a normal day. Black skinny jeans, black shirt, black sweater, black converse.

I walked back out to find Nico staring at a wall and Sally, Paul, and Elaine looking at each other awkwardly. I decided to take the safe route and join Nico.

"Hey," I greeted him.

"Hi," he said. Awkward. Well, I guess that's what happens when you don't see your best friend for two years.

"So, what've you been up to the past two years?"

"Not much, just in and out of the Underworld, visiting camp sometimes, that's it really."

"No school?"

"Nah, no point really, I learn what I want to in the Underworld anyway."

"Yeah…" Cue awkward silence. "Umm…Happy birthday," even awkwarder…

"I guess I could say the same to you," he sighed.

"Can we pretend like I never left?"

"But you did leave," he sounded mad.

"I had to!" I tried to keep my voice down. Elaine couldn't know.

"Yeah, I know, but that doesn't make it hurt any less," he almost looked sad, but then he looked angry again.

"Remember your fatal flaw. You're always holding grudges!"

His eyes went soft, probably thinking of his sister's warnings of his fatal flaw.

We (Elaine, Nico, and I) said our goodbyes to Sally, Paul, Abby, Izzy, and Zena, and then transported (and shadow traveled) to camp.

The next few weeks were just catching up with a bunch of campers. Things between Nico and I got better. We were able to talk again without fighting all the time. I remember fighting a lot with him before I left, but I don't remember what the fights were about. I can't really remember if I was angry or upset when we fought. In fact, everything around the time when I left is kind of a blur.

Chiron explained to me that I couldn't go to Goode, because everybody there thought that I was missing, because my 'dad' was a teacher there and he had to come up with some excuse. He said that I would attend a boarding school in California with Nico and Elaine, and that he manipulated the mist so that it seemed as if we were always enrolled to go there. He said a few other half-bloods from camp would be attending as well.

Before I knew it, my time at camp had ended and it was time to go to school again. YAY! School! Please, note the sarcasm. I wish I could be Nico and have skipped school for two years.