Disclaimer: Percy Jackson © Rick Riordan
Rating: T for mild violence and language.

AN: School is almost at the close but work is suddenly getting busier. So during the small window I have, an update for you. Any spelling errors/grammatical errors please let me know, I usually beta myself at least two to three times but uhhhhh time constraints. Anyways, without further ado!

The Forgotten: Denise Gilroy

Chapter 2: Introductions

I rolled over in bed, curling into the covers. I didn't want to get up, it felt like a lazy day today. My nose slowly hissed as I let in a lung full and released. Something wasn't right. Regretfully, I squinted. In seconds I sat stock still up. This wasn't my bedroom. My navy gaze flickered over the entire inside of an old fashioned, wooden cabin house. It seemed I was in some kind of makeshift infirmary judging by the multiple empty beds, bedside tables and curtains.

"You're up." I probably looked like I'd seen a ghost. The blonde, she was standing in the doorway, "I'm sorry for the abrupt behaviour." I felt my feet shuffle out from the covers and pad atop the cold boards. "You shouldn't move too soon, you don't want to injure yourself. Your muscles will be quite stiff." That was true, my calves cried the second I applied pressure to them but they were easy to ignore. I had an energy pulsing through me from my gut. My knuckles turned white from the fist I had balled my fingers into. The tennis player seemed to understand what was about to go down.

"You asshole!" I bellowed. It was all a bit of a blur, I remember swinging at the doorframe and her already moving to a set of stairs, I leapt down them chasing her. Ignoring the pain and surges from my muscles, I simply chased her. My cheeks were flushed with anger and my face contorted into quite the scowl; that was the only thing I was sure of. She burst through some heavier doors and I followed quickly, yelling all sorts of profanities. She placed a palm against the railing and easily manoeuvred over it. I could not in my condition. I leant against it, staring out angrily as she continued to run. I wanted something to stop her. My nails dug into the barrier between us and I wished with all my might that something would just stop her dead in her tracks. To my wishes something did indeed hinder her, entangling her legs. A set of long green lines twisted around her ankles and up to her shins. I blinked, what had just happened I couldn't tell you. I couldn't explain it to anyone. The sudden bind caused her to trip but in time with my surprise the whips of leaf and grass shivered in a wind and shrank away. I stared down at my hand, turning it around and examining it.

"Fae, come back here." An older voice commanded, a sidelong glance revealed a man in his forties seated in a wheelchair. I shook my head, stumbling back from the rail and tripping, knocking into the outdoor wall.

"Yes, that was you." A voice droned, confirming one of the few million questions that were swarming for my attention. My head hurt so damn much. I pinched my brow and tried to regain some sense. Let's see, sense… sense. I'm sure I left a box of it somewhere. Some spare for when I was in a pinch like this. What? Fresh out of sense? Well, that was just grand.

Tennis player placed a hand against the railing and propped herself atop it; keeping a distance from me on the floor. All my emotions had dissipated. I had no will to hit her now. "I…" I frowned; I couldn't place where the voice had come from. The aged man and tennis player glanced down at me on the floor. I realised I had started the sentence. I coughed, brushing a hand through the lengths of hair on my right. "I am never going to make sense of this." I announced stupidly. The fellow in the wheelchair rolled forward, offering a hand, I held up mine, "With respect, I'm not ready to stand. I shouldn't have chased her-" I nodded my head in the blonde's direction, "-out of the house. I'll just fall over again."

"So are you just going to stay there all day then? Ruining the view?" The voice muttered. There was shuffling inside a seat and some cards placed on a table. "Chiron it's your move." He added impatiently.

"If you don't care, then I won't." I could practically hear the eyebrow raising, the guy in the wheelchair rocked back and forth uncomfortably, the blonde darted her eyes stilly between us. Despite my previous warning -mostly to myself- I pushed against my elbows, grunting as I lifted myself, readying some kind of retort. My care levels had plummeted and I was going to be all kinds of rude up in here. My mouth hadn't anticipated what I'd have to stare down. Irritated eyes burned, cheeks flushing a red-purple. I immediately shut up and turned towards the archway, violently smacking my forehead against it.

"Mr D!"

"I didn't do anything." For once, a sentence seemed to escape him that wasn't drowned in boredom or sarcasm. He was surprised, a rarity I assumed. I caressed the now enveloping thudding against my forehead.

"I lost my head for a moment, sorry." Everyone looked at me as if I'd certifiably lost it. Sure, I was the weird one in all of this. "You owe me an explanation." I stressed the word, staring at Fae. Now I remembered her name. "But first, can we head back inside; I should lie down before I fall again." I was using most of might to stay standing, so I was begrudgingly grateful when Fae appeared next to me and offered her shoulder. "Better let the old man get back to his card game." Fae made quick work of shoving me back into the house before I was attacked by the eccentrically dressed man. I think I heard the wheelchair man convincing him that turning me into a dolphin would not shave time off his community service. I heard him insist that I must have been talking about him because of the wheelchair. We carefully trekked the stairs before Fae handed me over to a bed. I sat atop it, my legs hung like a little kids over the linen. Fae stood at the end, waiting for me to start. Suppose there was no use in making her wait. "Will any of this be explained to me properly? Or am I going to wake up tomorrow?"

"This is all very real."

I scoffed, and rolled back onto the bed, my legs still hanging over the side. My mind was listening but not really comprehending. A part of me wanted to accept the shift in reality, but another was very concerned mostly with the fact that I was so willing to adopt the notion. I felt like a patient in a mental ward finding out about the fact trees grow outside. I stared at the wooden ceiling, following the traces of lines to the cornicing and back out again. Fae watched me as I held an arm over my eyes. Flashes of the things that had kept me up all night the past month flickered. "Will all my nightmares come to life?" My voice cracked near the end, and I cursed myself for being so terrified. But alas, I had to give myself the credit of having just met one particular nightmare earlier today.

"Maybe."

This offered little consolidation. "So, that's a… maybe." I surmised, not wanting to be a smartarse for once. "Can I contact my family?"

"Demigods are prohibited from using mobile phones. It amplifies our… signal to the monsters out there."

"Demigods?"

"Half human, half god. Literally."

"Not the figurative 'literally'." Fae chuckled lightly at that. I cracked a smile, if you were going to descend into madness better at least make all the lamest jokes on the way down. I sat back up as she nodded.

"Fae, daughter of Apollo." She introduced formally, bowing, "May I take a look at your arm?"

"What's Apollo's talents?" I asked sceptically.

"Archery, music, and healing to name a small few," She held out those slender fingers to take up my hand. I relinquished it after a moment.

"Who's my godly parent?" I inquired, she slowly undid the bandaging around my right forearm.

"How old are you?" Folding the old bandage she pulled out my bedside wheelie table, a bottle and more bandages lay atop.

"Sixteen." She hesitated as she threw away the old bandage and picked up the bottle. I furrowed my brow.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No. Just…" She paused as she looked for the word, turning to me. "Unusual." Holding out a small plastic cup full of the liquid she nodded for me to take it. I did so but didn't sip.

"Medicine?"

"Of a sort."

"You're annoyingly cryptic."

"I'm a poet at heart." She joked, with a hand over her heart as she pushed the table back.

Ah, so they did send a poet. I held my drink up to the sky for a moment, whoever's up there. You're a classy, sarcastic lot. I wouldn't count Fae as an answer to my previous scathing demand but hell, if things worked out that way there simply had to be someone behind it I should thank. I touched the cup to my lip when someone burst through the door.

"Is she awake?!" A female Texan voice boomed.

"Ace, wait," The male version insisted, trying to squeeze past first. I quickly put the cup down and backed further onto the bed. The two siblings, I assumed, tackled each other onto the mattress. Fae grumbled before lifting her glasses up with a clearing of her throat. The two stopped tussling and ashamedly glanced up as she stared them down. The two collected themselves, poising themselves straight backed and calm.

With a breath Fae instructed, "She has only recently awoken and can only take so much stimuli. If you wish to thank her, do so calmly and without touching her. She hasn't had any ambrosia yet and therefore is still in pain. Now…" Fae lowered her glasses and added with a small smile, "Calmly." The boy tipped his hat and stepped back so his sister could speak first. She held out a hand but frowned for a few moments with a sideways glean to Fae. Shaking her head she adorned a bright beam holding the hand out proud.

"Adelaide, Ace, if you please, daughter o' Hermes." I took her hand with a perched brow, she was sincerely trying not to yank my arm out of my socket but that grip was something fierce. "Thank you. Very much. You saved our little tech's ass back there." I nodded meekly, not really sure what else to do. Adelaide, or Ace, was sporting cargo pants and a loose tank top. Her dusty-dirt brown hair was tucked behind an army print cap with a small ponytail jutting out the back. She stepped back, allowing her brother to say his words. He had a clean smile, a little less trickster looking than his sister with eyes just a shade lighter hazel.

"Anthony, Tex, son o' Hermes. Sorry for the scare, and for nabbing you so quickly. It was abrupt of us, and if you ever feel the need to take a punch at me for it then I am at your service." He took off his hat and bowed his head. When he stood back up he and his sister both agreed, "The Gibsons are in your debt, ask of us anything and we will make it happen." I dashed my gaze between the two, I couldn't tell if they were serious or not. I decided not to question it and just nodded.

"Uh… thank-" I coughed, "Thank you." I said, giving a twitchy smile back. I should have been mad at these guys but they were so damn charming in their way. It probably helped that they reminded me of home a little; the accent was a little heavy but the attitude was pretty similar. Downright pleasant country kids. Fae cleared her throat again and they jumped at the sound.

"She needs to rest. If you'll-" She cut herself off blinking in surprise at the door. The other two followed suit, seeming just as surprised. I mimicked their action, the girl I had bear hugged to safety was there. Haha, bear hugged, who ever said that didn't help in a situation. She was partially hiding behind the door holding something in her arms. She knocked lightly and when I nodded for her to come in, she moved to the foot of the bed and held out my bag. The outside was tattered and torn but the symbol was still a noticeable gold coloured glint. I took the bag with a smile, looking it over with mild disappointment. It was close to ruin but it had a good run… and it did kinda save my ass so fair was fair. I opened the zip to find my spare set of clothes still intact, my iPod tucked in a pocket, my wallet and some antiperspirant spray at the bottom. My hand felt something cold and I twitched at the sensation. A chain was at the bottom here; buried under some sleeve gloves.

"I fixed it for you. It should be fully working now." A voice like caramel uttered. Everyone tensed and I confusedly looked between them and the little girl who spoke. I wasn't completely sure what she was talking about but I assumed she fixed something in here to say thank you for before. At least I had my iPod to keep me company.

I smiled as warmly as I could in all my confusion, "Thanks sweetie," I internally shivered for having used the term. I was not used to talking to kids that weren't more than ten years different. Calling a eleven year old 'sweetie' just seemed odd to me. After a beat Fae quickly broke into the conversation again, it helped me snap out of my inner rant on appropriate terms for children.

"Let us all allow Denise to rest," She pointedly motioned to the drink, "Don't forget your medicine, it will do wonders." With a wave she added, "Now all of us come on. You'll get to talk to her at dinner. We'll wake you then, feel free to sleep." They filed out slowly, with Fae taking the front and the smaller kid the rear. I took a swig of the cup; an old taste filled my mouth and danced on my tongue. In seconds I downed the drink and moments after I wished for more. I brushed at my eyes, breathing in slowly as I tried to relax into the bed. It was only mid-afternoon from my guess. The light punched through the curtains with a homey glow. The place seemed damn near picturesque, I could swear there was bird chirps in the distance. My mind followed the patterns in the ceiling again, thinking back over the past few years I had been with my aunt. In a breath I was remembering the time I got lost in a crop field and within seconds after releasing I was out like a light.

Fae had knocked and tried to stir me for dinner but I wasn't hungry. The, uhh, medicine and nostalgia had taken it out of me. Physically exhausted and unable to think things through I opted for staying in bed. She did escort me to the phone to call my aunt at least.

"Hi, Marie Gilroy here, I can't come to the phone right now but if you could leave a message I'll get back to you," Answering machine.

My mind blanked at the beep and I muttered a coherent, "Uhhh," Before everything else kicked into gear. "Um, Aunt Marie? Yeah, it's Denise. I'm sorry I'm not home right now." I paused and tried to think, what message do you leave someone when you're kidnapped? Well, I say kidnap now but it's not like I was being held at ransom. "I… don't think I can come home just yet. It's nothing major. I'm safe. But things are complicated right now. I haven't run away. I'll come back soon. So…" A tone rang, letting me know I'd run out of time. I hung around the phone for a few moments, debating whether to call again and try it over. I considered it all the way back to the infirmary.

"I'll make sure you're brought food. It might not be me though."

"Mmmm," I observed my hands, dancing the fingers back and forth. They felt almost fully healed. There were a few scabs from the scrapes but other than that the damage was suddenly minimal. My muscles didn't even feel fatigued anymore. "Fae, how do you find out who your godly parent is?"

"Usually there's a sign." She answered quickly, hovering by the door.

"I don't know who anyone is, I never learnt the… Greek stuff?" I hesitantly guessed. "What if my sign arrives and I don't even recognize it? Do I get a do over?" Fae didn't seem sure how to respond. I cracked, a crooked line appearing over my chin, "I'm just complicating things. I do that." With a breathy laugh, I mumbled quickly, "Enjoy your dinner." I crawled back into bed and lay still as she left.

Footsteps dimmed away like the sun and the room suddenly felt boomingly silent. Sitting back up, I dragged my bag towards me and pulled out the cool chain. My thumb traced the rings and a calming sensation rocked up and down my arms. Goosebumps melded away and I inhaled slowly with the wave motion. The chain reached out to one and a half of me, a ridiculous size for a simple accessory but I never questioned it. Tweaking a brow, I stretched it out over my arm length and held the excess under my chin. As I leaned into the chain something sharp pricked me and I dropped it all onto my lap. One end had a clip attachment for a belt loop, it should have been the same on the other side but it was broken when I got it. Checking it again it seemed it was fixed, a twist nut had been added to connect the chipped points. Maybe this was what she was talking about?

I twisted the joint back over and the metal made a satisfied clicking noise, I smirked but it vanished just as soon. The hum of the click didn't stop and within a blink of an eye I held a sickle in my hand. In my surprise, I dropped it like an idiot and it made a loud thunk against the wood floor. I kicked my legs onto the bed, trying to get away from the thing and the chain followed the rest of it to the floor. The rattling continued for a couple of seconds before another loud ka-thunk, and then deafening silence again. My heart was racing, stupidly fast. I was freaking out over an inanimate object now? It's not like it could bite me back. I rolled my eyes and leaned over to look at it. The leftover light of evening barely caught the edge of a rung. Brilliant bronze curls glinted up at me; one end of the chain had grown a fist sized ball while the other side had a sickle connected at the hilt. Sheepishly, I leapt over it and knelt next to the loot. Quizzically, and cautiously I examined the hilt, a leather-like material in my fingers. My thumb stopped over the changeover to a sharp bronze curve. The blade was sharp and, as mystical and stupid as it sounds, the weapon seemed fitting for my hand. A twisting nut connected the leather and metal, I tugged at it half-heartedly and it made signs of movement. I tried again with my other hand steadying the sickle, and after a stiff turn the nut clicked. The weapon shrunk in my hand and I whipped my hand back to my chest to let the chain clatter to the floor again. My intake couldn't have been sharper but I felt a flare of wonder at the contraption. It didn't make any sense, but it seemed like the coolest thing I had seen today. I collected the chain and put it back in my bag, heart to fluttering from the surprise.

"Planning on running away?" A monotonous voice inquired. I let out a quick exhale from my nose, it probably looked that way with the way I scurried to my bag.

"Not on your life champ. You're stuck with me." The eccentrically dressed man from before frowned, "So what does Mr D stand for? Can I call you Mr Dad?" He seemed taken aback by my attitude. Maybe it was ballsy on my part to talk to a god casually. But hell, chalk meeting your disappearing Dad after facing off a lizard-dragon-thing as maybe not so hard. Truth be told though the only things stopping my hands from shaking where the fact they were gripping my bag.

He turned his head, "Show a little more respect, you should know your mythology by this age."

"Put it on the fact that I'm a country kid. So I'm gonna call you Mr Dad."

"Don't do that." He growled.

"Mr D for short," I shrugged. There was an awkward pause as he registered what I was saying. He didn't seem pleased with the casual attitude. I hopped onto the bed, pushing the bag to the end. "So what should I expect with this claiming thing. Like, is there confetti or something?"

He scoffed, "Like you're so special." I shrugged, a little crestfallen by the harsh response. He looked away as he turned to leave. "You'll find out soon Diana." My hands clenched.

"It's Denise, Mr Dad." He stopped still inside the door frame.

"You will refer to me as Mr D."

"And you will refer to me as Denise."

"You are a spoilt one to think you can talk to a god like this."

"A name isn't much to ask for. It's all some people have." The adrenaline died and I faltered for a moment, "And you're not just a god." I rolled my eyes and sighed, flicking the covers over my head before I made more of an idiot of myself. "Whatever, Mr D." I said blandly. I guess I shouldn't have expected much more from a god with other things to worry about then the names of the damn children they sire.

101: *sigh* Finally wrestled the Internet back off of 233.
*knock at door, dog door opens and a plate with an orange peanut is pushed into the room*
101: ...what?
233, behind the door: An orange peanut.
101: For me?
233: That's right.
101: Well, uhh... *frowns*
233: Because I accept you.
*footsteps dim as 233 leaves*
101: I...
*a hand reaches in through the dog door and takes the orange peanut*
429, behind the door: My peanut.
101: When the hell did we put in the dog door?