So. I've been stalling. The truth is, I had no idea how to write this. I wasn't sure what kind of adventure Elena would have to go on or what kind of difficulties she would have to face. I have a pretty good idea now. And don't worry; Elena's journey will be far from easy. And by the way, I WAS INSPIRED BY…(dun dun dun!)… A PINK RUBBER DUCKY. Thank you ducky.

She felt so much better – she really did! Elena had reached the end of the forest and found herself in a quaint little town on Long Island. She had been wandering around for days with a bottle full of water and a basket (which she wove herself) of berries and edible plants. It wasn't too hard to find something to eat in the forest. Every so often, she would find a stream and fill up her bottle.

When Elena stumbled onto the road, the first thing she noticed was the rusty store across it. The pain was peeling, the OPEN sign read "PEN" and there was not a single customer. No one. The letters above the door were hard to read, due to her dyslexia. To her they looked something like:

"OESJ IZAPZ PRAROL"

She stared at the words, trying to make sense of them.

"Joe's Pizza Parlor," said a voice behind her. "Can't you read?"

Elena turned around to see a girl about her age standing barefoot in the street.

"I have dyslexia," she told the girl.

Suddenly, she looked embarrassed. "I'm SO sorry! I didn't know!"

"It's fine," Elena said. "I'm Elena." She stuck out her hand.

"Marlene." She reached out to shake Elena's hand. "What are you doing here? No offence, but you look kind of gross. Like you spent the last few days wandering around in the forest."

"I have."

"Wow! You must be starving! And in need of a shower! You can come to my place. My mom is still at work. She won't be back for a while."

Elena nodded. "Alright."

Andy smiled at his parents brightly.

"Mom! Dad! What are you doing here?"

Percy and Annabeth frowned. Andy was never this eager, especially so early in the morning.

"We missed you three," Annabeth said cautiously.

This isn't so bad, thought Andy. They haven't asked about Elena yet. Maybe they-

"So. Where's your sister?" Percy asked his only son.

"Maria? You just saw her."

"No. Elena. Where is she?"

So much for that.

"Elena? I think she went to the stables," Andy lied. "She likes talking to Hamlet when she's upset."

Hamlet was Elena's favorite pegasus.

"Oh, ok. So we'll see her at lunch?"

"I don't know. Probably. How long are you staying?"

"Oh, just until after lunch. Your father and I have some business to take care of on Olympus. It seems that one of the statues of Apollo broke. Apparently it was his favorite, but personally, I just think he loves them all. He is-" Annabeth rambled until her husband clamped his hand over her mouth.

"We'll go back to sword fighting now, alright Andy?" Percy said.

Andy nodded. Crisis averted. Mission: success.

Ryan was lying in his bed even though it was the middle of the day. Hermes kids skipped their activities often, so no one was surprised that he had stayed in the cabin claiming to be sick. In reality, Ryan could not stop thinking about his parents. Life before his mother's death hadn't been perfect – but it was pretty damn close! The day his mother died, Ryan lost a lot more that just her. He lost his whole family. And that was a depressing thought. Ryan shook his head. He didn't want to be depressed. He didn't want to be anything like his dad.

Maria Jackson was in crisis mode. She was completely freaking out. As the smart one in the family (not including her mom, of course), it was her responsibility to come up with a plan. And for the first time in her life, she couldn't. No matter how much she sat and thought and thought and thought, she came up with nothing. And that was a very big problem.

I am SO SORRY. I didn't mean to be gone for so long, I swear! I was barely able to get on the Internet at all in Greece, and when I could, I had barely enough time to check my facebook so my friends wouldn't kill me. When I came back…well I just couldn't seem to be able to finish this. I am completely stumped and waiting for that sudden burst of inspiration that will help me move the story along. I will try getting the next chapter up soon, but I've been really stressed. High school sucks. Friends suck. Parents suck. As far as I'm concerned, the whole world sucks.