A/N: I'm back! Sorry it took so long to update, but this week's been pretty busy. I've volunteered, babysat, worked, studied, and practiced my dumb violin nonstop. The only fun part of the week was today, just because it was my birthday ;) And so I have a birthday gift for all of you, regardless of whether or not it is actually your birthday. Thanks for your AMAZING reviews. They make my day a million times better every time I see a new one. Alright, I'll shut up now. Enjoy!

The cab driver, bless him, was reluctant to let two pale-faced, tired-eyed teenagers off in front of a scraggly copse of trees. In the middle of nowhere, I might add. Piper and Jason assured him repeatedly, claiming that they were "camping" up the hill with some friends, and that they would be fine. He looked them up and down, like he was memorizing a description to give the police when they were reported missing.

After a few minutes of coaxing, he finally let them go. They watched the taxi sputter to life and hum down the road, away from the direction of Camp Half Blood.

Jason hefted their bags onto his shoulders and groaned, "Man, I wish Frank were here."

Piper rolled her eyes as they started up the hill. "You're the one that offered to carry them, Superman."

"Well, I have to. You can't lift them-" he hesitated at his girlfriend's glare. "Well, you could, but it's not healthy for the baby."

"I think me lifting a duffel bag is the least of our baby's worries right now," she sighed, running a hand over her belly unconsciously.

It was like meeting Dr. Hunt had flipped a switch in both of them. All of a sudden, things that had seemed so distant and unreal before, were now staring them both in the face, as close and as real as they could get. Of course, there was the scary stuff like prenatal appointments and miscarriages and the actual labor. But other stuff, too, like changing diapers and buying baby clothes and figuring out a name.

It was equal parts exhilarating and nauseating.

The border of Camp Half Blood finally came into view. Invisible and inaudible to the mortal world, it stood like a beacon in the center of the thin woods, a sign of safety and acceptance for all demigods.

They stepped through the camp's protective border, glancing at the little dragon curled around the base of Thalia's tree. They got a few hello's here and there from the campers milling about, but thankfully, were mostly ignored. Piper had chosen a loose fitting shirt that morning in an attempt to disguise her round stomach. She could only hope it was working.

As they neared the Big House, a familiar voice could be heard.

"Thanks again for helping us out. Chiron says he doesn't know why this is happening, but that he'll get to the bottom of it soon. I really hope he's right."

Piper's eyes widened and she sprinted towards the voice, leaving Jason to struggle with the bags by himself.

"Annabeth!" she called.

Annabeth, who had been speaking with a stern faced girl on the porch, spun around. "Piper!" she called back, laughing.

The two met halfway and embraced tightly. Piper allowed herself to breathe again, going practically limp in her friend's arms. Annabeth always knew what to do.

They eventually separated. The daughter of Athena studied her face, searching for unspoken words. Piper just shook her head.

Someone cleared their throat on the porch. They both looked up to see the strange girl staring at them in annoyance. Annabeth gave Piper a look that said later.

"Piper, this is Jillian. She's a huntress," she said, gesturing to the girl. "The hunters have been helping Chiron work out some issues.

"Jillian, this is Piper. She's a daughter of Aphrodite." Jillian made a noise of distaste.

Before Piper could tell the girl to shove an arrow up her ass, Jason appeared next to her and dumped the bags to the ground.

"Annabeth," he panted. "You're back."

Annabeth looked at him in amusement. "Yeah. And so are you, I see. How was your trip?"

Jason and Piper looked at each other.

"Pretty good," he answered nonchalantly. Then he saw Jillian on the porch. "What's going on?"

The hunter stepped off of the porch and looked at him. "You're Thalia's brother, right?"

"Yeah, I am," he replied, looking interested. "Are you guys friends?"

"Somewhat," she said shortly, looking to Annabeth. "They don't know what's happening, then?"

Annabeth shook her head. "While you guys were gone, there was a sudden spike in half-blood sightings. Like, an exponential increase, pretty much out of nowhere," she explained. "We didn't have enough satyrs to send out, so the hunters came forward and offered to help bring half-bloods to camp."

Piper quirked an eyebrow. "Any idea why?"

"No," she admitted. "That's what Chiron's doing right now. He's trying to find a connection in the new half-bloods, to see if there's a reason that this is happening all of a sudden. What's strange is that most of the demigods we've found are older than thirteen, but still unclaimed. It doesn't add up."

"So the hunters are looking for half-bloods now, too?" Jason asked.

"Yes. That's what she just said," Jillian answered dryly. "Weren't you listening?"

"Well, yeah, but-" he began, but Annabeth waved him off. There's no point, her expression said.

"When did all of this start?" Piper inquired.

"We started getting reports of increased sightings the day after you left. They haven't stopped since," Annabeth replied.

Jillian started fiddling with the silver bracelets around her wrist. "I really should be going now. I have my own assignments to fulfill."

Annabeth looked relieved. "Thank you, Jillian. You guys are lifesavers."

"No need for that. Lady Artemis is always willing to help a maiden in need, no matter to cost," she said firmly.

Something lit up in Piper's mind.

"But aren't you helping guys, too?" Jason pointed out. "You're bringing male demigods to camp, right?"

Jillian glared at him. "That is purely incidental," she replied coldly. With that, the huntress was walking past them and down the hill.

Jason snorted. "She sure was friendly."

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Artemis is always willing to help a maiden in need, no matter the cost. Jillian's words echoed in Piper's mind.

Would she help a maiden like me? That was the question. A crazy, suicidal, dangerous question.

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Annabeth helped Piper carry her bag to cabin ten, where her siblings greeted her happily.

Lacy pulled her into a hug and whispered, "How did it go?"

Piper just smiled and waved goodbye to Annabeth. "I'll tell you later," she said quietly. Lacy nodded.

There were lots of questions- "Why did you decide to visit your dad all of a sudden? Is everything okay? Is he sick?"- and Piper brushed them all off skillfully. A lot of her siblings were very suspicious of the truth, she knew. But now wasn't the time.

They eventually calmed down enough to let her unpack. She covertly pulled out a pamphlet on teen pregnancy that Jason had found in the waiting room and slipped it under her pillow. Dirty clothes went into her laundry bag, chargers and phones went into the box of valuables under her bed, along with the books she'd brought, and pill bottles went into her purse.

She tossed her duffel into the closet they all shared. It hadn't even belonged to her, but everyone in the Aphrodite cabin had a "sharing is caring" policy. It applied to shoes, hair clips, lip gloss and pretty much everything but boyfriends and girlfriends. That was a big no-no all around.

The idea of asking Artemis for help kept stewing in her. It was a stupid idea by all counts, but her only one at that. Artemis did crazy shit for her hunters all the time, so would she do it for Piper?

The gods don't like not being in control at all times. Artemis was a goddess. Would she stay loyal to her family and their crazy desire for omnipotence, or would she have pity on a fellow maiden? Was it even worth the risk?

Piper mashed her face into her pillow and groaned. Someone cleared their throat from the bunk across from her. She lifted her head.

"Drew?" she sighed. "Hey."

Drew smiled tightly from her bunk. "Hey, little sister. You seem stressed. What's on your mind?"

Piper held back an eye roll. "Nothing much. I'm just kind of tired from our trip. California to New York is a long trip, you know."

"Yeah, that must've been hard. At least you made it back safe," she said sweetly. "The whole cabin really missed you."

"Glad to hear that," Piper answered warily. Why was Drew so concerned all of a sudden? "Um, listen, I think I accidentally packed one of Jason's chargers in my bag. I'm gonna go take it over to his cabin before I forget. I'll see you later."

She hopped up from her bed and dug a random charger out. "Yep, this is it. Knowing Jason, he probably doesn't even know it's lost," she laughed nervously. Drew gave her a fake smile.

"Yeah, probably not," she replied. "See you later."

Piper nodded curtly and headed for the door.

"Oh, and Piper?" Drew called.

"Yeah?"

"I worry about you sometimes. I think you keep too many problems to yourself. We share in the Aphrodite cabin, right?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Right," Piper bit her lip and opened the screen door. "Thanks," she added.

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Jason was so tired. All he wanted was to toss his bag at the statue of Zeus, curl up on his bunk and go to sleep. A nice, dreamless sleep.

But of course that wasn't going to happen. Even if he managed to get some sleep, it sure as hell wasn't going to be peaceful. How could he sleep soundly with all this crap happening? The goddess from Piper's dream made it seem like this "divine fire" thing was perfectly harmless (except for the fact that it made unborn babies into superhuman mutants,) but nothing was ever that easy. Why else would Piper have had a near heatstroke at the beach? Why would she have thrown up the ambrosia?

A knock came at the door, startling Jason from his thoughts. A few seconds later, Piper walked in, letting the screen slam behind her. She looked troubled.

"Hey," she said, swinging a black charger by her side.

"Hey," he replied, puzzled. "What are you doing with that?" He pointed at the charger.

"Oh," she said, glancing down at it. "Long story. Doesn't matter." She flung it on an empty bunk.

"Are you okay, Pipes?"

Piper sighed. "Not really. But I think I have an idea to keep our baby."

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"So you want to ask….Artemis? You want to ask her to get rid of this fire thing and stop Ilithyia?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"No."

Piper gave Jason a look. "Do you have any other ideas? Because I'd love to hear one."

"Do you have any ideas other than doing something completely stupid and dangerous? Because I'd love to hear one," he shot back.

Piper looked offended. "Look, Jason, I'm just trying to figure out a plan. We can't just sit here and do nothing while that crazy bitch is plotting to wreak her revenge on the gods by screwing with our baby. At least I can't."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason huffed, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing, Jason. Gods, you need to relax. All I want is to-"

"Is to what? Go out and offer yourself up to an even crazier bitch, and then expect me to sit back and watch you do it? Sorry, but no. That's not going to happen."

"Who are you to say what I can and can't do, Jason? I don't belong to you!"

"But that baby does," he countered, getting to his feet. "And I'd appreciate some say in your dumbass ideas."

"I can't believe you! And don't call me a dumbass!"

"I'm not calling you a dumbass, I'm calling your plan one! Because it is one , Piper. Are you even hearing yourself right now?" Jason shouted.

"I'm definitely hearing what you're saying. Loud and clear, in fact," Piper shouted back. "And I'm starting to think that maybe you don't even care about this baby at all!"

Jason ran a hand through his hair. "Don't be ridiculous, Piper-"

"So now I'm a dumbass and ridiculous? Way to make a girl feel special!" she spat.

Jason groaned, "Listen, you really need to-"

Piper cut him off again. "What makes you think I need to listen to anything you tell me?"

"Because last time you didn't," he started angrily. "Was when all of this shit started! If you had just followed my advice and stayed at camp, none of this would have happened!"

Piper was fuming. "Enough. I'm done. I'm done, don't talk to me. I don't need this."

She picked up the charger and flung it at Jason. "Here. I think this belongs to you."

Turning on her heel, she stormed out the door, letting the screen door slam behind her.

Jason put his pillow to his face and gave a frustrated yell.

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Piper tried to hold back the tears as she jogged back to cabin ten. There were a thousand angry words she had spoken, all of them words she wished could be unspoken. But they couldn't. Squeezing the tears back into her eyes, she walked through the door of the Aphrodite cabin.

It was empty. Everyone was off doing something else, not having to worry about babies or evil goddesses. Lucky them.

Piper threw herself onto her bunk, then felt for the pamphlet under her pillow. It probably had a section on dealing with dumb boyfriends. A few seconds had passed, and she was still groping around for the familiar feeling of sheer plastic, to no avail. Panic set in.

She searched under her bunk, in the blankets, even in the pillowcase. Nothing. Nothing. The pamphlet was gone.

Before she could have a total panic attack, someone walked inside. It was Mitchell.

"Hey, Piper. Dinner's already started. Just wanted to see if you were coming," he said warily, taking in her flushed skin and wide eyes.

Piper stared at him stupidly for a moment.

"I mean, if you're busy, I'll just let you be-"

"No!" she sprung up. "I mean, no. I'm coming. I was just finishing unpacking," she added hastily. As much as Piper wanted to stay and look for the missing pamphlet, there were enough questions being asked. If Jason decided not to go to dinner either, people would get even more suspicious.

"Great. We really missed you here," he said, offering her a hand up. She took it gratefully.

"I missed you guys, too. It was nice seeing my dad, though."

"Yeah, I get that. I haven't seen my dad in forever. I should really visit him soon," Mitchell replied, holding the door open for her.

"Where's he live?" Piper asked.

"Albuquerque. He's a civil engineer for a company out there."

"Cool. Listen Mitchell, thanks for not telling anybody about…you know. I really appreciate it."

His eyebrows knit together. "No problem, Piper. But do you guys have any ideas about what to do at this point? I don't mean to pry, but-"

"No, it's okay. And a few. We're going to try and schedule a doctor's appointment sometime soon. If everything looks okay, we'll start making plans to move out to New Rome. To be closer to my dad, you know."

"That sounds pretty good," Mitchell replied.

"Yeah, I hope so. And um, you'll keep this all to yourself, right? For now, at least."

He nodded dutifully. "Of course."

They had reached the dining pavilion. A few people looked up to give them skeptical looks, but Piper ignored them. Her eyes trailed over to the Zeus table. To her surprise, Jason was sitting there, pushing food around his plate. Maybe he wasn't as angry as he had let on.

They sat down at the Aphrodite table across from Lacy. She smiled happily at Mitchell, and Piper suspected that there might have been a plan she wasn't let in on. She brushed it off, thankful for siblings that cared so much about her.

When food was whisked onto her plate by an unknown force, Piper stood up and headed over to the brazier for the sacrifice. She stood in the back of the line and looked around, trying not to think about her missing pamphlet. Maybe it fell off her bed and someone put it in the trash. Things didn't have to always end up as the worst case scenario.

Piper glanced over at Jason to see that he had been watching her. He tried to avert his gaze to his grilled chicken, but it was too late. She studied the back of his head for a while, wishing she could think of a way to say sorry. She really was sorry, but that didn't mean she had changed her mind.

Which was why she was about to do something very, very stupid.

When her turn at the brazier came, Piper stared into the dark flames. She looked back at Jason for a moment. He was looking at her again, but this time he didn't shy away from her gaze. Maybe she shouldn't do this.

There were a couple of impatient sighs coming from the campers in line behind her. Piper took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the flames licking upwards. No going back now.

Scraping off a hunk of chicken into the brazier, she whispered, "Please Lady Artemis, hear my prayer. I need your help."

A slight scent of pine and leather wafted upwards, signaling that her offering had been accepted. Piper breathed a sigh of relief and walked back to her table.

When she sat down, Lacy was looking at her quizzically. "Piper, what's that on your chin?"

"What? What is it?"

Lacy looked closer and her eyes began to widen. "Piper, I think you have a pimple."

There was a collective gasp around them. Aphrodite children were always blessed with perfect complexions, so a zit was shocking news to them.

Piper rolled her eyes, remembering one of the symptoms of pregnancy from the book she bought in Malibu: Acne. Hormones and whatnot.

"Oh well," she replied, wishing everyone would stop staring at her. "It happens."

"No it doesn't!" Lacy cried, shaking her head.

"Lacy, it's fine. I'll but some cream on it tonight. It'll be gone by morning," Piper sighed.

Lacy didn't look so sure. "Okay, but I really hope you don't start to break out. I just don't know what we'd do then."

Piper held back a laugh. "We'll hope for the best." She glanced over at Zeus's table. "Hey, I think I'm going to go see Jason real quick. I'll be right back."

Abandoning her untouched food, Piper stood up and walked away from the table. When she reached his table, she could see that Jason had fashioned his mashed potatoes into a Harry Potter-style lightning bolt. She smiled.

"Hey," she said, making him jump. "Can I sit?"

Jason looked at her for a long moment before nodding. She climbed beside him on the long bench, not meeting his eyes.

"Listen, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way before. I didn't mean those things I said," she said reluctantly.

Jason sighed in relief. "I'm sorry, too. I was acting awful and-"

"Aww, would you look at that!" A shrill voice cut him off. "Mommy and daddy, together!"

Piper's heart fell. That's where the pamphlet had gone, then.

"I can't believe they kept it a secret for so long!" Drew crooned. She was standing up in her seat at the Aphrodite table, smiling brightly at them. All eyes had gone to Piper and Jason. "Piper, being pregnant at sixteen is nothing to be ashamed of."

There was a collection of both gasps and snickers. Piper looked over at Annabeth, who was glaring daggers a Drew.

"I just wanted to take this chance to congratulate you in front of everyone! I'm just so happy for the two of you," Drew said sweetly.

"Drew, you're just jealous Jason didn't screw you instead," came a voice. Some people started laughing.

Piper looked over to see Percy curling his lip in disgust at Drew. She thanked the Gods for giving her such a smart mouth friend.

Drew ignored the insult hurled at her. "I just wish you had told us all sooner. If I didn't know any better, I would think you didn't want us to know!"

All of a sudden, Percy stood up. He walked past Drew and plopped himself down next to Jason, who had been gripping his fork to tightly it was twisted out of shape. Annabeth followed, then Mitchell, then Lacy, then Katie. They ignored the hundreds of pairs of eyes on them and huddled at the Zeus table.

Piper felt love swell in her chest for her friends. Drew was still talking, but no one was listening. Pretty soon, a good portion of the Aphrodite cabin had made their way over to Piper and Jason and sat at the table. Then there were a few from the Athena cabin, some from the Demeter, and a whole host of them from Apollo.

"They're all staring at us," Piper whispered to Jason.

"Let them," Percy declared.

And they did.

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Piper couldn't sleep that night. The staring faces of all those campers were imprinted into her mind, keeping her awake. She had been immensely grateful for their outburst of support, but it still bothered her. Everyone knew now. For better or worse, the cat was out of the bag.

Piper let these thoughts fly around in her head for hours. Jason knew, Chiron knew, her dad knew, the whole damn camp knew. Maybe it would be better this way. There wouldn't have to be any more lying or skirting around her friends and siblings. No more secrets to keep.

This calmed Piper ever so slightly. She counted sheep for the next half hour or so, praying for sleep. She could already tell tomorrow was going to be a long day.

Just as sleep was finally beginning to find Piper, the howl of a wolf echoed outside of the cabin. She shot up, looking around. No one else had been awoken by the cry. Assuming it had just been her imagination, Piper laid back down.

The howl came again, this time louder. She sat up again, wide awake. What on earth?

Creeping barefoot across the floor as quietly as possible, Piper swung the screen door open. As she looked around, another howl echoed throughout the camp, this time coming from the woods. She followed it.

It was surprisingly cool that night. Wind blew at Piper's bare legs, making her shiver. The moon shone down on her strongly, brighter than she'd ever seen it. It was full tonight.

She trudged away from the cropping of cabins and towards the woods. The howling continued, guiding her. It lead her into a shallow copse of trees at the forefront of the woods. Hesitantly, she kept walking. Sharp sticks and twigs dug into the bare soles of her feet.

Piper had walked another fifteen yards or so when the howling halted. She stopped walking immediately, straining for an audible clue, but the howling had ceased completely, it seemed.

Sighing, she made to turn back. A voice made her stop.

"Where are you going?"

Piper spun around and gasped at the sight that met her eyes. There, clad in grey hunting uniform, was a tawny-haired woman. Her gleaming eyes bore through Piper like melting silver.

"You called me, daughter of Aphrodite? Well, I am here."

Artemis.

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A/N: Goddamnit, Drew. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks again for th reviews. All of you on guest (You know who you are) better come off so I can thank you personally! It physically pains me not to be able to say thanks for your reviews. But for now, I hope you all have an awesome day, night, whatever!

Heads up! REVIEWS = FASTER UPDATE!