Okay. I thought the response to the first chapter of You're family, aren't you? was crazy. I was wrong. So, so wrong. What the ever-loving Hades. Can I say I love all of you?
A lot of you had suggestions and ideas what they wanted to see here, so I'll address them here. However... One thing needs to be cleared up, now. If you want me to hurry up writing this fic, comment on this fic, not on one of my HP fics. Not cool, people! (I deleted that comment, since it was guest, but it's the principle of things.)
Now, for the reviews' response:
MoonShadowPup: Nope, this is strict Hermes/Percy fic. I might write a Jercy one-shot in the future (if I survived Zeus/Percy I can do that one too!), but not here. He just has a crush on her.
Arianna Le Fay: the answer up above.
Alis-volat-propriis97: I feel ya :D But sowwy! One pairing only!
Cynder2013: Noooo! I like Jason! He'll be okay, no worries!
Shadowing: Oh, you can bet on that! Hera's in for a rough ride once Poseidon and Hermes get ahold of her...
Guest 1: Someone asked for Austin incident retell? Look below. ;D
JustMyOpinion74: Solved that problem, don't worry. Created another one, though... but that one is more for gods than demigods.
GuardianXAngel: *smirks* You will have to wait, my dear. But I can promise it will happen at one point.
Guest 2: I did say in You're family, aren't you? that Sephie will have her happy ever after... after I drag her through as many messes I can get away with. ;) Evil, I know.
To everyone else (25 people in total) who showered me with positive feedback and demands to update: thank you, and chill a bit, peeps! :) I do have RL, you know?
Now, let's see how Hermes is handling Sephie's disappearance...
Two months. Two months of being stuck on Olympus with colossal migraines and no news about Sephie, and with his equally irritable family.
Hermes was ready to tear someone's head off, and Mercury agreed.
They still did most of their duties as messengers, so they didn't suffer from chronic boredom, but the unease that spread through Olympus and slithered into the gods' bloodstream did not bypass Maia's son. Hera/Juno was missing, Sephie disappeared the night after their date in San Francisco, and now Jason Grace appeared with no memories except Sephie's face?
This had immortal fingerprints all over it. The only questions remaining were who would do it, and why. Hermes had his suspicions, but until he could gather any evidence, he will keep mum.
"Son," strong male voice called after him, and the Messenger God sighed and turned.
"Yes, Father?"
Mercury switched with Hermes once they caught the glance of the King of Olympus, who was in his Jupiter form. Greek and Roman aspects did not communicate, point.
"I hope I do not need to remind that recall order also applies to you," Jupiter said with a stern look in his eyes.
"Of course not, Father," Mercury sharply nodded, standing at ready. "I only perform my duties when immortals ask for them."
"Good," Jupiter sighed, looking in the distance. "I am sorry for the doubt – I just caught my older brothers trying to sneak off to find Persephone Jackson."
Hermes gasped in the back of Mercury's mind, and Mercury had a hard time containing his own shock. Pluto and Neptune had never worked together, and certainly not over a half-blood. The girl was even more dangerous than Mercury had realized – she could both unite the Olympians and tear them apart without even trying!
"Apology is not necessary, Father. Do you have a need of me?"
Jupiter frowned at the question.
"As a matter of fact, I do. Will you release my son from the promise you got out of him about the girl? He will not be able to function in Greek Camp otherwise."
Mercury grimaced at the memory of that promise. It would've been a good thing had Jason remained with Romans, but now it became a hassle and a potential danger. Damn whoever dropped the boy near Greeks!
"I will," he said through gritted teeth. "But I need your permission to leave Olympus to safely release him."
The King stood there for a moment, eyes closed and toying with the Master Bolt demigoddess returned years ago.
"Very well. However, if I hear about any detours…" Jupiter left the sentence hanging in the midair and flashed away.
Uncle P is right – Dad is a drama queen, Hermes muttered from the back of his mind. Let me take over?
"No," Mercury declined. "We're talking with a child of Rome."
In the camp filled with Greeks? Hermes growled. Do you want Father to do what he did to Hera after the Golden Net incident?
Mercury shuddered as he remembered his stepmother's punishment. No, he was not eager to be hung from the axis of the sky by golden chains on his hands. He wasn't crazy enough.
Okay, he grumbled as he let his Greek aspect take over and run off at the speed of sound to Camp Half-Blood. But you heard Father!
If I wanted to search for Sephie, Hermes snarked, I wouldn't be nearly so obvious.
"Lord Hermes!" Chiron nearly dropped his bow as Hermes flashed into the Great House.
"Hey Chiron," the god greeted cheerfully. "I have a missive from Lord Zeus – can you get me Jason Grace?"
"The boy is in Cabin 15," Chiron informed the god. "I can go and fetch him."
"Please," the god smiled. "And do not let anyone in after he comes in until I open the door – no one."
"Yes, my Lord," Chiron bowed from his knees and trotted outside in search for the wayward son of Jupiter.
Hermes used that time to grab himself a seat and relax for a bit: his soles were starting to burn from the running he had been doing in the last month and half. Honestly, it was not truly necessary for him and Mercury to come; they just felt so stifled in Olympus, Mercury blurted out that white lie to Jupiter.
Well, whatever gets them to kick back a bit and rest the legs, since they were not allowed to search for Hermes' lover.
You're very attached to her, Mercury noted.
Don't tell me you don't feel anything for her, Hermes retorted.
That wasn't the point of my remark, Mercury said with a put-upon sigh.
I don't need a lecture from a brat who never questions his orders, Hermes snapped with a bit more fire than he wanted. She's my lover, and we've done worse to those that tried to take them away from us.
She's not just your lover, Mercury shook his head. Destroying Apollo's cabin because of a foolish child –
"Was necessary," Hermes spoke aloud, gritting his teeth as the memory resurfaced from the depths where he locked it along with Luke's death.
The sense of revelry after the end of second Titanomachy did not fade after a day, or a week. It stretched all the way to the beginning of September, when most of the campers still attending school had to say goodbye and return to their mortal homes. Unwilling to just let them leave without a bang, Chiron and Dionysus organized a final party – for which Dionysus even got permission from Zeus to make vine – and gods descended to mingle with their children and have some fun in the middle of the restorations. Admittedly, Poseidon had to threaten Athena with flooding of her library and Sephie to hide Annabeth's renovation plans until mother and daughter conceded the fight and joined the party, but that was of less importance.
This was also Hermes and Sephie's first date, sort of. They had talked at length often in the past year and went for a coffee more times than Hermes wanted to count, but this was special. This was them being out together after declaring themselves a couple. He had already seen Aphrodite wink at them from the corner of his eyes, and there was no escaping a pointed glare from Poseidon drilling a hole between his shoulder blades.
All in all, though, he was having fun, and Sephie looked the same.
"I can't believe it's been almost three weeks," daughter of Poseidon said as they sat on the dock, holding hands and watching the sun sink below the sea. "I keep expecting to wake up and realize we're still at war."
"I understand," Hermes nodded. "I felt the same after Gigantomachy."
"Gigantomachy?" Sephie turned, eyes shining with curiosity. "I feel like I should know this…"
"In short, Mother Earth doesn't like us," Hermes snorted, gripping Sephie's hand tighter. The new Great Prophecy unsettled Olympus, since it coincided too much with Roman Prophecy of Seven, and the rumors floating around hinted at something old awakening – something like Giants. "So she sent another set of her children, Giants – Tartarus', not Ouranos' – to depose us and take reins of the world. The thing was, the Giants can't be killed solely by a god or mortal, it has to be the two working together."
"Oh right!" Sephie's features cleared of confusion. "The stories of Heracles mention that. The Giants were created to be your counterparts, right?"
"Yes," Hermes shuddered as he recalled facing his own counterpart, Hippolytus. He managed to kill him by using his uncle's Helm of Darkness, but the sheer wrongness of Hippolytus' presence still haunted him sometimes.
"Hey," Sephie placed her head on his shoulder. "It's all over. It'll be better."
"You are amazing," Hermes smiled and hugged Sephie. "How can you still hope after everything?"
"Because I'd have nothing to live for," Sephie shrugged, blushing under the adoration Hermes showered her with. "Could you grab me a bit of BBQ, please? I'm a bit hungry."
The rumble of her stomach corroborated her story, and Hermes chuckled, dodging a playful swat.
"Yes, princess."
"Don't call me that!" Sephie complaint reached Hermes as he sped off to the buffet table, only causing him to laugh even more. Sephie could be so silly sometimes!
"She likes ribs and marshmallows, but hates fish with burning passion," came an amused voice from behind him, and Hermes spun around in surprise.
"Hello, little sister," Hermes greeted Thalia Grace, who was standing behind him and drinking soda. "What do you -?"
"I'm just saying," Hunt's Lieutenant shrugged, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, and reached for a stick with marshmallows. "You don't want to piss her off by giving her fish. I don't want to end up wet when she blows up."
"Ah." Hermes was still confused but decided not to look too deeply into this. If she wanted to give him advice on Sephie, he will take it at face value. "Thank you."
"No problem," Thalia shrugged. "Now hurry up – you're not the only guy around here who likes Sephie a bit too much and wants to act on it."
Something awoke inside Hermes at the sound of that. He had never had scandalous love affairs or had a bad reputation when in love like his father and siblings; however, jealousy was not an unknown feeling for him. Being a thief himself, he hated even more than most when someone tried to steal something from him.
All but flying over the grassy terrain to the lake's dock, he found a blonde boy talking with Sephie, who had stood up and crossed her arms. As crimson colored his vision, Hermes still managed a semblance of rationality to hide, listen in and figure out why Thalia implied the boy was his rival.
"…none of your business, Austin," Sephie said with a scowl on her face. "I can date whomever I want."
"C'mon Sephie!" Austin looked a bit drunk, Hermes noted, as he swayed in his place before taking a step forward. He also looked a lot like Luke when he was younger. "Dating a god? That's just masochistic. He'll leave you sooner or later – you're still mortal, after all."
Now that was low. Hermes knew why Sephie refused immortality, and to see it treated so callously by a demigod Sephie helped only fueled his anger.
"So what?" Sephie's eyes were blazing, water sloshing around the edges of the lake in response to her agitation. "I love Hermes. Deal with it."
"I'm just saying," Austin took another step forward, prompting Sephie to take a step back. "You liked Luke, didn't you? Everyone thought you would end up together one day. Isn't dating his dad, like, dating Luke?"
For the first time, Sephie's eyes watered, and Hermes nearly stepped out of his hideout behind one of trees. Didn't the idiot boy realize how much talking about Luke hurt Sephie?
"Stop it, Austin," she whispered, her voice breaking.
That was the last straw for Hermes. He strode out and all but flashed behind Austin, slamming his palm on the demigod's shoulder. Austin lost coordination, adding in on the theory he was drunk, and collapsed into a heap at Hermes' feet.
"Hermes?" Sephie asked, but the god was more focused on the offending demigod. He could not see from the back, but Hermes now realized he must've been one of Apollo's children – blue eyes, blonde hair and high cheekbones were instant giveaways.
"Haven't you heard," the god murmured as his staff materialized in his hand, George and Martha hissing in the background, "that making someone's girl cry is not a healthy thing to do?" He let his aura snake around him, not quite assuming his immortal form, but not pretending to be mortal either.
Kill him, Hermesss! George demanded
He made Sssephie sssad, Martha added. No one isss allowed to do that.
"Agreed," Hermes said quietly and raised the staff.
"NO!"
Sephie flung herself at Hermes, jumping over Austin's slumped form and slamming directly into Hermes' outstretched arm, redirecting the blast meant for Austin to Cabin Seven. Hermes, in shock, had to catch Sephie before she fell of the dock into the lake, and the party quieted as the gods and demigods started looking for the reason why Cabin Seven looked a pile of golden rubbish.
"I had a very good reason," Hermes continued the argument with Mercury, who only sighed and refused to comment.
In that moment, a knock sounded through the Great House, and Hermes settled in.
"Come in!"
Jason Grace shuffled in, looking so much like his father and behaving almost nothing like him. There were traces of what he used to be in the suspicious look in his eyes, and hand twitching towards the pocket he kept his sword (Mercury and Hermes both approved), but if you didn't know, you would've never thought Defeater of Krios and this boy were the same person.
Now, time for some switcharoo.
"Ave, Jason Grace," Mercury greeted the Roman.
"Ave, Dominus Mercurius," the boy replied, falling to his knee. It appeared some things were ingrained too deeply to be fully forgotten.
"Rise boy." Jason obeyed without a second of hesitation. "Your father sent me to release you from the promise you made about Persephone Jackson."
Son of Jupiter started a bit at that, a hopeful glint entering his eyes. "Does that mean I'll remember more?"
"I do not know," Mercury said bluntly, dashing boy's hopes. "With Juno missing and your father's orders of non-interference, I cannot tell you what happened to your memories." He and Hermes had a hunch, though, and the release would serve as a perfect cover to confirm it or disprove it.
"Juno's missing?" Jason tore the god out of his musings, sounding horrified.
"Yes," the messenger nodded sharply. "Now come here, boy. My time here is limited."
Jason carefully approached, watching every movement Mercury made. When he was about a foot away from the seat, he stopped, wavering.
"Closer," Mercury grunted. "I need to touch you."
Jason's eyes widened, but complied, walking up to the god and kneeling so Mercury could simply extend his hand and lay it on his head.
"Et nunc absolvo vos vestra fidem, Jason Grace, Iovis fillius."
Jason's eyes clouded over, his mind processing the release, allowing Mercury to sneak a peek at his half-brother's memories.
Hera, Hermes growled. She stole his memories!
That means…, Mercury could not speak it properly, too horrified at the implications. Had his stepmother gone insane?
Leader for leader, Hermes voiced the thought. The merger. Father needs to know.
He will.
"Father, call the council session," Hermes strode into the Throne Room, the snakes on his staff silent. "This is important."
"Important how?" Zeus asked, supporting his head with an arm planted on his throne's armrest. "It's a bad moment for -"
"I know why Jason Grace is at Camp Half-Blood."
That caught King's attention, and he lifted his head, eyes clear for the first time in past month.
"Very well." Zeus lifted his Master Bolt, letting the thunder and lightning act as signal. There was no way any of the Olympians could ignore the signal: even Hades heard these calls in the Underworld.
One by one, Olympians flashed into their seats, Hermes opting not to sit until he delivered the information he had. After the last immortal flashed in – Athena, surprisingly enough – Zeus sealed the doors, ignoring his wife's empty seat, and looked expectantly at his son.
"Jason Grace was sent to Camp Half-Blood by Hera," Hermes cut straight to the chase. "The Mist clinging to him and the signature in Jason's mind was definitely hers."
"What?" Ares was the first one to gather his wits. "Mother caused this?"
"Why would she do that?" Hades asked, stunned, as the chatter picked up. "That's not like her -"
"How did you realize that, son?" Zeus silenced everyone.
"My Roman aspect forced a promise out of him never to speak of Sephie Jackson," Hermes revealed. "I believe he didn't want any more interaction between the two camps. Since it created problems in current situation, he was sent to rectify it." He wisely did not name names, afraid of causing another schizophrenic episode.
"It still doesn't explain why!" Ares exploded, rising from his throne. "Why would she do something that would incapacitate us all, her included?"
"Prophecy," Athena muttered, sounding horrified. "Leader for leader. Hera is trying to manipulate the Prophecy of Seven."
"Manipulate it?" Hephaestus asked with a frown. "I don't see -"
"'Foes bear arms to the Doors of Death'," Apollo quoted, somber. "The children of both of our aspects will have to work together."
"But that's risky!" Aphrodite chimed in, getting a few surprised looks. "Last time we tried to unite them -"
"American Civil War erupted," Dionysus yawned, but his purple eyes were alert. The headaches Olympians had now were child's play compared to then, and no one wanted a repeat.
"Hera's playing with fire," Demeter said quietly. "This could easily backfire."
"But at least we know one thing," Hermes tried to sound upbeat. "We know exactly where Sephie Jackson will be or already is."
"Somewhere around San Francisco," Poseidon muttered, rising. " I'll -"
"You will nothing, adelfos," Zeus hissed at the Sea Lord. "The recall order is still in full effect, for everyone! Until our numbers are back to what they should be, we are vulnerable!"
The council quieted, awaiting Poseidon's decision.
"Understood, brother," Poseidon finally nodded, resentment visible in his face.
"Then the meeting is adjourned."
Zeus was the first one to flash out, but the rest was slower to leave the room, eyes darting between Poseidon and Hermes, the two immobile ones. Finally, the only occupants in the room were Hermes, Poseidon, Hades and Hestia.
"Uncle?"
"I don't like the fact you're dating my daughter," Poseidon said suddenly. "But I cannot deny you're the only one of us who managed to find a lead on her."
Hermes tried not to preen and shifted on his feet.
"She's important to us all," Hestia murmured, watching Pandora's pithos, Sephie's gift to her, glow in her hearth. "She could the one to unite our split personalities."
"Or the one to destroy us simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time," Hades added, rising from his seat. "Still, it's pointless to talk about future while we're still one member short of full council. We should concentrate on keeping Sephie as safe as we can and finding Hera."
"Yes," Poseidon nodded. "You will listen for more clues, Hermes?"
"Of course," the Messenger God promised. "I'll tell you the moment I have something concrete."
"Send me and Hestia a message as well, nephew," Hades demanded. "Keep us informed."
"Yes." What were two more messages sent? Besides, Hades and Hestia liked his Sephie since she was a mere child, framed for stealing the Master Bolt. They would have Hermes' head if he failed to keep them in the loop.
Now, the only thing he could do was wait, and listen. With Sephie's brand of luck, he'll hear something very soon.