It was around two in the morning and all through the castle were sleeping. Well, all but one little goddess of marriage. Little Hery jumped from her bunk bed to the ground, landing on Aphy'spink bean bag. She grabbed onto her froggy stuffed animal and approached the door. She opened it slowly and tip toed outside.
She ran across the hall and opened the door to her Daddy's room. She frowned at the two beds. Her Uncle Zeus was snoring on one side of the room while her Daddy was tossing and turning on the other bed.
She approached her father and yanked on his blanket.
"Who? What?" Leo jumped up, his hand going under his pillow and producing a dagger. Hery jumped and began to cry. "Hery?" Leo rubbed his eyes. "No, don't cry, I didn't mean to scare you, shhh," Leo carried the girl and sat her on his lap.
"Daddy, can I sleep here with you?" Hery made puppy dog eyes filled with tears. Leo smiled and positioned her underneath the blankets.
"Bad dreams again?" Leo sighed and tucked the girl in. Hery nodded and cuddled against her father's chest. "Well, sleep tight," With that the son of Hephaestus fell asleep again.
"You look dead, Valdez," Nico frowned at Leo. "Did you even sleep last night?" Leo sighed.
"Hery keeps having bad dreams, I worry about her. Her temperature drops and she begins to sweat." Leo caressed his daughters brown curls as the little girl ate breakfast.
"You should get Clovis or Will to check on her. Nico slapped him on the back and drained his black coffee. "Well gotta go. Someone let out a pack of hell hounds in Asphodel last night. It total chaos out there." Nico began walking to the door only to get stopped by his kids. "No you can't come, ARTEMIS!" Leo chuckled and began to pick up the dishes.
"I'm leaving!" He yelled and ran out the door.
"Daddy!" he heard the kids yell. He ran faster, this was getting ridiculous.
Leo and Reyna paced back and forth outside the girls' room.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Reyna snapped.
"I thought it was just bad dreams. Theeny had some too so I got her the frog. Apparently it wasn't that." Leo yanked his hair. The door opened and Clovis and Will walked out.
"Is she okay?" Both worried parents asked.
"Yeah, she will be fine. I gave her this medicine which will help her keep her temperature in check. She should take it every four hours before eating food and with nectar." Will handed Reyna a small bottle of silver liquid.
"And I put a block on her brain. Her older goddess memories were plaguing her." Clovis yawned.
"You mean, she was remembering things?" Leo's eyes popped out. "Is this a good thing?"
"No. She is having dreams of her past life but she remembers none of it. In her mind she is only having bad dreams." Clovis explained. "The block I put on her mind should stop the bad dreams. If that does not work, call me again." With that the son of Hypnos left.
"Is she asleep?" Reyna rubbed her arms, her white chiton not keeping her warm.
"Yeah, the medicine will make her drowsy so don't get worried if she randomly falls asleep. Now I need to go check on Janus. He got his heads mingled together again. See you all later." Will zapped out.
"Aunt Hera!" Little Zu ran in. Reyna bent down and picked him up. "Is Hery alwight?" Zu looked into the girls' room.
"Yes, she will be fine. She just needs rest." Reyna tickled the boy.
"Can I see her?" Zu asked.
"Sure thing, buddy," Leo opened the door and Zu ran inside. He climbed onto the bunk and laid next to the sleeping Hery.
Feeling the presence of another body next to her, Hery snuggled closer, sighing.
Leo closed the door and sighed.
"I'm going to bed. I haven't slept a wink in a week." Leo approached his door.
"Hephaestus!" Percy yelled. Leo groaned.
"What?" He whinned.
"Athena wants you to help her with the plans for Ares' castle reconstruction." Percy smiled.
"Great, just great." Leo stomped away, his face etched with a permanent scowl.
"Do you guys know where Apollo is?" Chris rushed into the room.
"Why?" Reyna let go of the plans for the Winter Solstice festival on the coffee table. Being queen of the gods meant she had to prepare all these events.
"Ary is burning up," Chris was on the brink of panic.
"Okay, okay, calm down. Where is he?" Reyna stood from the couch.
"I don't know! That is why I am asking!" Chris yelled.
"I mean Ary!" Reyna face palmed.
"In the room," Chris pointed.
"Where is Clarisse?"
"Out looking for Apollo!" Chris rushed in.
Ary was gasping in his bunk. The little boy was coughing and sweating. Reyna rushed to him and put a hand on his forehead. True enough, he was burning up.
"Get me cold water and towels. We need to keep him cool until Apollo gets here," Reyna began to taking the boy's clothes off. Chris ran out.
"Daddy?" The boy groaned.
"He will be here in a little while sweetheart," Reyna sweat off Ary and began to run her fingers through his black hair.
"I got Apollo!" Clarisse ran in. Her disguise was a normal mortal who Ares/Chris presented as his new wife.
"Mommy!" Ary cried. Clarisse rushed to Ary's side and picked him up.
"Shh, it's okay." Clarisse rubbed the boy's back and Will approached them.
"Lets see," He put his hand over the boy and began to chant in Greek. His hand glowed gold Clarisse closed her eyes, Reyna frowned. Why were all the kids suddenly getting sick.
"I got the water!" Chris ran in, a trail of water spilling behind him.
The light faded and Ary snuggled into Clarisse.
"He is still burning up!" Clarisse began to panic.
"Yes, I know. Calm down, he will be fine." Will opened his medical bag and took out some pills. "These should help. Give them to him dissolved in a glass of nectar when he wakes up. For now, try to keep him hydrated and his temperature down. The cold water and towels should help. I need to go check on Hery," Will grabbed his leather bag and left. Chris and Clarisse frowned.
"What exactly do we do with the towels?" Clarisse asked. Reyna rolled her eyes.
"Soak them in the water and cover Ary with them. This should help regulate his body temperature. Keep the water cold. If he begs to give him a blanket because he is cold, don't give in, it's for his own good." Clarisse laid the sleeping Ary on his bunk and Chris began to soak the towels.
Reyna frowned. The gods rarely get sick, why would they start getting sick now? First Hery with her nightmares and low temperature, then Posy with his chicken pox, now Ary with high temperature? Something bad was happening.
"Guys! It's Lou and Connor!" Percy ran in holding a prism in one hand, mist coming out the other, creating a small rainbow.
He plopped down on the couch, everyone following suit.
"Hey guys!" A smiling Connor waved from the other side of the IM.
"Hi, Connor!" The rest yelled.
"Shh! You are going to wake Ary!" Clarisse snapped.
"What?" Lou came into view on the screen.
"The kids have been getting sick. A couple of hours ago Ary was burning up, and just a couple of minutes ago Demi began to throw up cheeriohs," Travis sighed.
"They are getting sick?" Lou frowned. Percy nodded. "That is not...possible, they shouldn't be getting sick," Lou mumbled.
"Then why are they?" Leo yawned.
"I don't...have you noticed anything different about them?" Lou's eyes widened.
"Only that they are going through their clothes pretty fast. At this rate we are going to have to go to the mall to buy new ones." Piper sighed.
"They what?" Everyone asked.
"Have you all not noticed?" Everyone shook heads. "Am I the only one who pays attention to what they wear!" Piper demanded.
"Yes," Jason mumbled, Piper glared.
"That means they are growing! This is a good thing!" Lou hugged Connor. Travis wolf whistled making the goddess of Hecate release Connor.
"Why is it a good thing?" Clarisse frowned.
"Will, back me up." Lou grinned. "Gods don't get sick like normal mortals or demigods. Their bodies don't grow or experience the things human bodies do. When they are born they are usually already adults."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Percy made the message bigger.
"If they are experiencing sickness and growing it means they are changing, the potion that was spilled on them is taking effect on them. This might make it easier to get them back to their original state," Will grinned.
"Exactly!" Lou squealed.
"So them whimpering and thrashing in pain is a good thing?" Leo dead panned.
"Yes!" Lou and Will smiled.
"Okay then," Leo sighed.
"We should keep and eye on their growth rate," Will mumbled.
"In the mean time, we need to go shopping. Hady and Posy do not have any more shirts that fit them," Piper sighed. "Who is coming with me?" Collective groans vibrated across room. "Don't whine!" Piper snapped.
"Can I go to bed now?" Leo yawned.
"Yeah, yeah," Reyna pushed him towards his room.
"How are things on your side?" Jason squeezed himself next to Percy on the couch, much to the son of Poseidon's dismay.
"Fine, we have acquired one ingredient so far," Connor pushed Lou off the screen. "At the rate we are going we might be back by late February, early March."
"Good, good." Percy nodded and pushed Jason off the couch.
"Thirty seconds left," The voice of Iris warned.
"Be careful you two, Connor take care of Lou, see you soon!" Percy yelled and the call ended.
"So, the mall trip?" Piper was not going to let this go.
"Mommy!" Ary yelled from his room. Clarisse ran to the room, slamming the door behind her.
"Jackson, you are the only one that can drive, you are going," Jason stretched as he got up from the floor.
"Grace, you are the only one that keeps Zu, Posy, and Hady from killing each other, you are going," Percy glared at his cousin."
"We are all going so stop fighting!" Annabeth snapped. "Now go to bed, I want to be back early," Annabeth got up and went to check the sleeping Posy and Theeny, sleeping on Posy's bunk this time.
