Author's Note: Hi y'all, so sorry about the lateness of everything and just my absence in general. I just finished school, then I had a big basketball tournament and I'm getting ready for this music thing in the UK… basically, I'm under a ton of stress right now. Don't worry if you don't hear from me in weeks - I will finish this. And Order of the Gods… maybe.


Annabeth paced back and forth in front of the venue. Here she was, in Boston, having just found her long-lost cousin, only for him to die in the care of her uncle. Gods, her life was messed up. Not only did her cousin die - she was pretty sure Magnus took a fire-ball to the stomach and fell off a bridge, but the footage was of terrible quality - but then he'd stood in front of her and talked to her, told her that he was alive. There was only one possible explanation: Magnus was a demigod.

Annabeth should've been feeling betrayed, shocked, annoyed, angry even. But she didn't feel any of those things. Instead, she felt relief. There was someone else like her in her family, her biological family.

Annabeth whipped out her phone and dialed Percy - well, Percy's landline in his apartment.

"Hi, you've reached the Jackson-Blofis residence," said Percy's voice. "Please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can."

Annabeth slammed the end call button. She needed to talk to someone, anyone. Percy would be preferred, but there was someone else Annabeth could reach.

As soon as Piper picked up, Annabeth launched into her story.

"Piper, thank the gods. Listen, I think my cousin is a demigod, but I have no idea what to do, I mean, like, should I bring him to Camp? Should I leave him in Boston? He just died-"

"Woah, slow down." Piper sounded at ease and relaxed and Annabeth realized she probably just interrupted Piper's Friday night, but she just had too much going on in her head.

"Piper, he just died. I mean, well, he didn't because I just talked to him, but he fell of a bridge after getting hit by a ball of fire - I think - and only a demigod would even have a chance of surviving that, but I just- he- I- I don't know what to do. What if I bring him to Camp and he can't get through, or he-"

Piper's voice pierced through Annabeth's head, "Annabeth, slow down!"

"Right, sorry."

"Just give me a sec." Piper had clearly covered the microphone to address someone. She heard Piper excuse herself. "Lacy says hi. What happened? Since when do you have a cousin?"

"Since my dad is one of three kids," Annabeth snaps. "Sorry, sorry, only Percy knows that. I got to Boston with my dad a couple days ago, and we were looking for my cousin, Magnus, but then my dad's brother got to him first. Long story short, he died, but when I went to the funeral home, he was there, alive and well."

"Oh my gods." Piper sighed loudly into the receiver. "Gods, I- Are you okay?"

"Not really, but I think he's a demigod."

Someone called for Piper from her side. Annabeth imagined her pulling the phone only slightly away from her face before yelling, "Yeah I'll be right there, the money's on the counter!"

"Sorry, am I interrupting? What did you say about Lacy?"

"No, no, it's fine, the pizza just arrived. Lacy says 'hi', is all."

"I've gotta go," Annabeth said, quickly. "Tell Lacy I say 'hi' back."

"No, wait, Annabeth, really it's fine-"

"I'll see you soon."

Annabeth hung up the phone and ran off into the city.


Piper stood up abruptly and left the room. I was vaguely aware of Lacy yelling to Piper to say hi for her. I was frozen. My heart pounded in my throat.

Calm down, Sadie, I told myself. Anna's a common name, Beth is a common name. Just how rare is Annabeth? There could be hundreds in New York- millions on the planet. Don't jump to conclusions.

I steadied myself and made to follow Piper, but before I could, the doorbell rang and Lacy grabbed my hand and pulled me in the direction of the front door.

"Piper!" Lacy yelled. "The pizza's here, you coming?"

Piper shouted back about the money and Lacy shot off to get her food; a woman on a mission. But I had a mission of my own. I crept down the stairs, following Piper's voice.

"-Lacy says 'hi', is all," Piper was saying. I stood in the doorway of the living room. "No, wait, Annabeth, it's fine… I-" Piper pulled the phone away from her ear to look at it. I realized the person she'd been talking to had hung up.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Piper jumped, a hand going to her waist instinctively. "Hera, Sadie! You scared the nectar out of me."

"One, gross," I said. "And two, is everything alright? It sounded like whoever you were talking to was pretty worked up."

"Yeah everything's fine. Annabeth just got a little overwhelmed, I guess."

I tried my hardest not to flinch at the name. When I'd met Annabeth, she'd seemed a little overwhelmed at the prospect of the Egyptian gods being real, too. It's not an easy thing, learning everything you once believed is wrong, incorrect, a lie. It was then that I realized that I really just wanted to prove myself wrong- I really just wanted Piper and Lacy to be normal girls.

"Annabeth," I said. "That's a nice name."

"Yeah, it is."

"Is it common, in America?" Okay, yeah; I played the Brit Card, but one must play the hand they've been dealt. Besides, it gets you information quick.

"I don't know. She's the only Annabeth I know."

And what were the odds that Her Annabeth and my Annabeth were the same person? I didn't even want to think about it.

Luckily, I didn't have to, because right then, Lacy called from the kitchen, "Guys! The pizza is getting cold!"

"C'mon," Piper said, slinging an arm over my shoulder. "Let's go."


I said earlier that that night was scarier than I ever imagined. Well, strap in, because we're about to hit that point in the story.

After convincing myself that Piper must know a different Annabeth, that Annabeth must be a common name in the US and not the UK, the night went quite smoothly. I abandoned my quest for information: friends can have secrets. I mean, it would only make me the biggest hypocrite on the planet.

We played games, watched movies, but the night ended in a little Never Have I Ever - a well-loved game among the older initiates - and I would only realize later just how much potentially damning information I revealed during the game.

Lacy got me to say my weapons preference, "Never have I ever… owned a knife."

Piper put a finger down.

"I prefer a staff," I said, admiring my four digits still standing.

Piper got my martial arts abilities. "Never have I ever been beaten by a sibling in sparring."

Lacy sulked, and her and I both put a finger down.

"It's not my fault Carter's the better fighter, it was kind of decided for us. He trained all over the world with my dad!"

The question that made me lose was Lacy's, and it was directed at Piper. "Never have I ever… had to concede food to Annabeth."

"I'm out," I said. "I gave her my bloody Ribena." (Ribena is disgusting, by the way.)

Piper stared at me. "You know Annabeth?"

"I know an Annabeth. It's probably not the same person."

"Right," Piper said.

Lacy ended up winning the game, but then fell asleep in the middle of Disney's Mulan. I recommended Hercules, but was met with violent protest, Lacy and Piper claiming it is the worst Disney movie in the history of Disney movies. I still think they're wrong, but… whatever. [Carter stop telling me it's inaccurate- I know! That doesn't change the fact that it's a good movie… I don't care if you can't watch it! Give me back the mic!]

When the credits of Mulan began to roll, I held up Hercules.

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?"

"Because it's inaccurate, not to mention he's an A-hole."

"Who is?"

"Uh," Piper stammered. "Zeus! I mean, have you read myths?"

Outside, lightning crackled through the sky, causing a burst of thunder so loud it shook the house.

"Huh, I thought they were calling for clear skies all night," I said, looking out the window. The moon was bright, and there were no clouds, no sign of a source of the intense lightning strike I'd just witnessed.

"Yeah," Piper said. "Weird." She scratched the side of her head and played with a lock of dark brown hair. "I think it's time for bed now, eh?"

"I thought 'eh' was a Canadian thing?" I asked, climbing into my sleeping bag on the living room floor.

"I have a friend from British Columbia."

"Where?"

Piper chuckled, turning out the lights. "Canada. Goodnight, Sadie."

"Night."

Piper was asleep instantly, but I stayed awake. I couldn't bring my special pillow-thing that prevents my ba from leaving my body permanently, so it was dangerous for me to fall asleep. Instead, I just prayed to the gods - Egyptian and Greek - that the two sleeping girls beside me were normal.

A voice giggled inside my head. Oh, dear. You have no idea.