Guess whose baaaaaack! Me!

And first off, major apologies. I am such an ass for not updating in...*Counts on fingers* FIVE MONTHS!? WHAT?!

Grr...anyway, I've recently started my Freshman year of High School so you know what that means. UPDATES! Because I'm the princess of procrastination and all that, y'know?

Anyway, I feel like maybe I should do a quick recap, for those of you who are still interested in the story but forgot everything that happened and don't want to reread everything. Namely me.

Anyways.

Perseus Jackson has escaped from Tartarus after ten long years of torture. Hell bent on revenge, he, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and the Lady Athena create a school for unclaimed demigods who they hope to train for their army. With the help of Nico and Thalia, they begin their plans to undo Olympus.

Khrys is a demigod who has no interest in fighting for the gods. She doesn't want to fight, fearing for her life and those of her friends. In the case that she has no choice, she was given help by the mysterious Peter Johnson who seems to have a strange attraction with sunglasses, just like another teen we know...

While getting used to her new life, Khrys happens to have a strange dream that opens a mystery to her eyes. She becomes determined to unravel what's going on at the school. Unfortunately she decides to leave. However, she was convinced by Peter to stay until the dance, where she challenged him to give her one good reason to stay...

And that's it for the recap! Hope it was helpful. Anyway's, I've gotta go write more chapters. Especially the one where Khrys finds out that Pet-

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She's in a long black coat tonight Waiting for me in the downpour outside She's singing "Baby come home" in a melody of tears While the rhythm of the rain keeps time
Did you ever love her? Do you know?
~Fall Out Boy : Jet Pack Blues~

The sun was unbearably hot. It wasn't fair. It was almost December and not a single flake of snow had been seen. This was supposed to be New York! Where was the bitter cold chill that would nip at Khrys' nose whenever she was outside for too long? The brown haired girl grumbled unhappily under her breath as she shifted from foot to foot. She was standing in the shade of the overhang outside the schools doors, but sweat still beaded below her hairline.

It also wasn't fair that Kathy didn't seem to be bothered by the heat at all. (Maybe it was a daughter of Apollo thing?) She was standing at the foot of the stairs, hand over her eyes in search of her mothers car. Khrys, Kathy, and one of Kathy's sisters Hannah, were going in search of dresses for the dance, which would be taking place tomorrow night. Khrys wasn't really all that worried about finding a dress - she would prefer to wear jeans to the dance. But it was mandatory that everyone wear formal clothing. Which meant a floor length dress for her.

The daughter of Dionysus sighed. She wasn't one for wearing dresses, the preferred pants and sneakers were much more comfortable compared to the alternative. But it was the only way she was going to be allowed into the dance so she would tolerate it for a bit.

"There she is!" Kathy suddenly called out, jumping up and down and waving at a car as it made it's way along the half circle driveway. Her golden hair reflected the light of the sun like a miniature star, causing Khrys to shield her eyes as she bolted down the stairs. It was a good thing that most other kids had already left or else Khrys would have mowed them down in her rush to get into the air conditioned car.

Because Hannah was the eldest, she was the one who got to ride in the passenger seat of the car. Khrys didn't feel up to objecting so she eagerly slid into the back with Kathy, letting out a happy sigh as the cold air washed over her.

"Hello girls!" A cheery woman called from up front. The woman who turned around in the seat wasn't exactly a spitting image of Kathy, but she did share the same eyes. Other than that they were complete opposites. Kathy's mother had long black hair and almond eyes. Her skin wasn't pale like Kathy's either. If she hadn't known any better, Khrys wouldn't have thought her possible of being Kathy's mother.

"Hello Miss-" Khrys began.

"Oh, just call me Stacey!" The woman gushed, twisting in her seat to look out the windshield as she pulled out of the driveway. "Oh it's so nice to meet you Khrys, Kathy's told me so much about you!" She extended her hand behind her with her eyes still on all the road and Khrys warily took it.

"Really?" She inquired. "How?" Kathy didn't have a phone, and it wasn't like they were allowed to use them anyways. Computers weren't really common in the school either so e-mail was also not an option.

"Oh, in her letters!" Stacey laughed.

You can send letters? Khrys thought in surprise. She hadn't known that, and it would definitely have come in handy. She could have just asked her mom to send her a dress in the mail instead of having to go out and try on a billion of them at some unknown store. And, you know, keeping in touch with her mom too.

"Okay, everyone's buckled, right, girls?" Stacey's mom seemed a bit...unfocused to Khrys. But she was a nice woman anyways so what did it matter? Khrys looked at Kathy from the corner of her eyes, seeing her friends gleeful smile. Shrugging, Khrys turned and looked out the window, prepared for a boring car ride.

"Khrys, Khrys," Kathy was shaking Khrys' arm, she seemed determined not to let her friend have a peaceful car ride to her nightmare. "What kind of dress do you want to get?" Kathy asked energetically.

Khrys looked at her friend dubiously, unable to answer for a second before letting out a hesitant- "A...dress?" She asked. "I'm not really sure. I've never really had an interest in shopping for a dress so..."

Kathy gasped dramatically. "But you must have gone dressing shopping before!" Khrys just shrugged.

"Not really, no. I don't do shopping."

Kathy seemed having trouble processing the words as she quietly stared at her friend. "You must have gone shopping at some point before." She exclaimed.

Once again, Khrys just shook her head and looked out the window at all the passing cars. "No, Kathy. It's not really my thing."

Kathy sighed dramatically. "That settles it then."

Khyrs glanced over at her, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Settles what?" She said slowly. Kathy's baby blue eyes were gleaming like that of an excited puppy.

Oh no...Khrys groaned internally.

"I'm going to take you shopping this summer." Kathy said with finality. "You and I are going to have a girls day, and we can go out and get our nails done and our hair and makeup, and then we can go look at boys and-"

Kathy's mom broke in then. Her eyes darted to look in the rear view mirror before back at the line of cars in front of her slowly inching their way through traffic. "Speaking of boys," She said with a girlish smile. "Who are your dates to the dance? Hannah, I'm assuming it's Brennan!" She squealed. Kathy's older sister laughed.

"You guessed it Stacey." She said with a dreamy sigh and glossy look in her green eyes.

While the two women chatted about 'Brennan', Khrys leaned over to Kathy and whispered. "Hey, your mom isn't bothered by the fact that Hanna's your sister by another woman?" Khrys blinked before asked another question. "Does your mom even know she's your sister from another mother?"

Kathy looked surprised. "No, not really. I mean, she know's I'm her sister by another woman." She corrected herself hurriedly. "I just don't really think she minds." Kathy lowered her voice. "And if she is, she hides it well."

Khrys nodded in agreement. " I agree. Does she know that the gods exist?"

Kathy frowned. "I-I actually don't know."

Khrys gave her friend a strange look; almost dubious. "How can she not know?"

Stacey's mom twisted around in her seat suddenly as she looked at the two girls in the back. "I heard something!" She sang. "You weren't talking about little ol' me where you?" Kathy and Khrys laughed as the older woman batted her eyes at the two of them.

"No, mom." Kathy said once she had stopped. "We were just talking about school."

Stacey smiled. "I figured. How are you girls liking it so far?"

Khrys looked over at Kathy, expecting her to answer her mothers question. She would know better than Khrys what was okay to say to the woman who may or may not have any knowledge of the Greek Gods being real. Kathy just shrugged.

"It's a lot to take in. It's everything and and more than what Andre described, and it's so exciting learning everything the school has to offer." The daughter of Apollo smiled brightly and gently punched Khrys' shoulder. "But I got to meet this girl over here, so that was nice."

Khrys laughed and stuck out her tongue at her friend playfully. "Right back at you."

Stacey sighed and turned back to face the front of the car. "I"m glad you girls are in such a good mood, because it looks like traffics not going to move any faster." There was a collective groan throughout the car. Traffic was going snail fast, and it was nearly the afternoon. They needed to be back to the school by six, which wouldn't give them much time to shop.

"You know what?" Stacey said brightly. "Who say's we have to wait out traffic in the car? Why don't I take you girls to Starbucks. Get something cold for this heat, maybe a snack. What say you?" Hannah let out an eager 'yes', along with Kathy who started bouncing in her seat at the prospect of something cold. Khrys honestly didn't care so she just shrugged her shoulders and nodded.

~(._.)~

For such a hot day, the Starbucks on Union Ave wasn't too crowded. As Khrys entered the air conditioned building she was assaulted by an array of delectable smells. Coffee was the strongest, but there were hints of chocolate and caramel along with the smell of fresh baked goods. Khrys inhaled deeply as her stomach rumbled.

This was her first time personally in a Starbucks, but Khrys could officially say she wasn't disappointed. She looked around, remembering one of the schools many lessons. Always scan your surroundings for anything suspicious. You don't know who may be a monster in disguise. The other girls seemed to have the same idea as her, though Stacey seemed oblivious to the teens actions.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary so Khrys trailed after everyone as they headed towards the counter. Khrys closed her eyes as she stood in the back, inhaling deeply. Her shoulders rose and fell as she inhaled and she felt herself smile. "Hey, what do you want?" Kathy asked as she elbowed Khrys in the ribs, shaking her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, um...choose for me?" She asked as she looked up at the board. Because honestly she had no idea what any of the drinks where. For Hades sake, what was a Venti?! She thought as she looked at the menu absentmindedly. She ran a hand through her dark brown hair as she looked around at all the people.

There were two girls near a corner window holding hands and laughing. Khrys smiled at that. She hung around Andre and Ezra a lot, so she knew how hard it was to sometimes make your affections for the same sex apparent. Just because the school allows it, doesn't mean everyone's gonna be nice about it. She thought unhappily. It was the same for the real world, but these girls didn't care, and that was all that mattered.

The daughter of Dionysus continued her examination of the people around. There wasn't many others besides a group of teens entering and a boy and a girl staring at each other awkwardly in a booth. Aw, first date. She snickered. She turned to face the register, caramel eyes peering around to see who was ahead of them.

A six foot boy was waiting off to the side for the girl ordering. Either they were dating or just friends, because there was no way they were siblings. Unless they were adopted. Or their parents genes did something weird. The boy had blond hair with a groove in the side and pale skin. He had glasses on, or at least Khrys thought he did. She could only see the back of his head, and so she was squinting to see if there were actually earpieces around his ears or if it was just her imagination.

The girl had choppy brown hair that seemed to have been cut by a four year old. There were a few braids in there, one of which had a black and gray feather attached to the end for some reason. After she'd gotten her drinks, she turned and headed over to the boy, who gave her quick peck on the lips before taking his drink from her hands.

Well I guess that answers the boyfriend/girlfriend thing. Khrys thought as she stepped up to the counter. She wasn't planning on ordering, but she didn't want to awkwardly wait near the back.

"There!" Kathy said triumphantly as she skipped over to Khrys.

Khrys looked at her suspiciously, wondering where the drinks were since her hands were empty. "Where's the drinks?" She asked her friend.

Kathy giggled. "Oh, we just have to wait until they've been made. They'll call out our names when they're done and ready."

Khrys bit back a groan. What were they supposed to do until then? Just sit and twiddle their thumbs? She had ADHD for crying out loud! How was she expected to sit and do anything for a long period of time? She sighed and ran her hand through her hair. It was better than waiting for traffic to move while sitting in a hot car. "Alright, alright." She sighed.

"Hey, it's not all bad." Hannah said with a smile. She and Stacey had snuck up from behind the two girls, and now Hannah had slung her arm around the demigods shoulders. "We can discuss what we're looking for when we go shopping!"

Can't we just do it when we're actually shopping then? Khrys thought with pursed lips. She ducked out from under Hanna's arm and made her way towards a booth. If they wanted to wait for their drinks and talk about dresses, she wasn't going to do it while standing in the middle of the room.

Everyone followed after her, sounding much more excited about the idea of shopping than she was. "I want to get a gold dress!" Kathy said. She slid into the seat of the booth that Khrys had chosen, bouncing up and down excitedly.

Khrys couldn't help herself and made a gagging noise as she slouched in the seat. "Please don't." She sighed.

Kathy pulled back. "Hey! But I want one!"

"Yes, I know, but Kathy your hair is already such a bright gold, that a dress that's entirely that color will be too much." Khrys explained.

Stacey was nodding slowly beside her daughter. She laid a hand on her daughters arm. "I know you've always wanted a gold dress, but your friends right. You've already got such a bright personality. Let's not over do the bling." The woman blinked and looked around. "Did I say that right? 'Bling'? That's what you kids say now-a-days right?"

Hannah shook her head and Khrys noted how her lips twitched from a restrained smile. "Sorry Stacey, I don't think I've heard anyone say bling in a while."

Stacey snorted and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You kids and your constantly changing lingo."

Kathy chipped in. "Yes, I know, we're awful, but I really want to find out what would be a good color for me." She pointed an accusatory finger at Khrys. "You say you don't go shopping, yet you seem to know what I should and shouldn't wear. How come?"

"My mom tends to party a lot." Khrys said bluntly. "She would take me shopping for dresses with her when I was younger and I would have to listen when the store employers complimented her on what colors 'made her eyes pop' and 'looked amazing with her skin tone'." Khrys rolled her eyes. "I guess I've just got that information stuck in the back of my head still."

Kathy leaned forward, a challenge in her eyes. "Oh yeah? Then name two colors that I would look great in!"

Khrys smirked. "Blue, pink, white, and silver if your feeling daring!"

Stacey and Hannah laughed while Kathy playfully stuck out her tongue at her friend. "I said two!"

"Oh, do me!" Hannah said with a laugh. Kathy gave her a once over -dirty blonde hair, green eyes -before spouting out colors. "Green, preferably dark, along with a subdued baby blue!"

Hannah pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Nuh-uh!" She shook her head. "Nuh-uh!"

Khrys smiled and shook her head. "Honestly, I guessed about the blue. But honestly, your eyes would really stick out with a dark green color."

Kathy jumped up and down in her seat. "Forget this, I'm gonna see if our drinks are done." She slipped past her mother and was about to bounce off before Khrys spoke up.

"Wait! I'll come with you!" She wiggled past Hannah and smoothed out her shirt before hurrying after her friend. Kathy was walking backwards, seeming oblivious to the fact that she could bump into someone.

"I'm so happy you're going to the dance." The blue eyed demigod admitted. "I know that it's not really your thing, but I really think you'll enjoy it!"

Khrys shrugged. "We've all gotta try new things don't we?" Honestly, Khrys felt bad. She hadn't told her friends the real reason she was going to the dance. If I had my way, I'd be eating pizza and watching Netflix. She admitted to herself. But how was she to explain that she was only going to prove to the guy that she kinda-sort of might like that he's wrong? There wasn't exactly anyway to explain that. 'Oh, hey guys, just thought I should tell you that I'm planning on running away from this school and ultimately you; out of fear of dying. Just an FYI.'

Yeah, no.

Kathy was bobbing her head in agreement to Khrys' words, though she was still walking backwards. It unnerved Khrys how she hadn't bumped into anything yet. But that just might change soon. They were going to be passing the trash bins near the doors. The couple from earlier -the blonde and choppy haired girl- were throwing out their drinks while murmuring quietly to each other.

"Hey Kathy," Khrys spoke hurriedly. "Maybe you should turn around right now!"

Kathy blinked and whipped around, unfortunately tripping over her own feet. She was so close to the unaware couple that she crashed into the blonde and sent them both toppling to the floor.

There was a confused silence. The brown haired girl looked over at Khrys with a surprise look that mirrored her own. A small part of her mind noted she had peculiar multicolored eyes. Almost like a toy she used to play with when she was a kid. What was it? A kale? kaloscid? Kaleidoscope! Those things!

Khrys was shaken from her thoughts as Kathy looked up at her and squeaked. "A little help please!?"

"Oh, right!" Khrys bent down and grabbed Kathy's hand while the other girl grabbed the blondes. They pulled them up and let go once everyone was righted.

"Sorry about that." Kathy said with genuine remorse. "I didn't mean to bump into you. It was an accident."

The blonde ran his hands over his shirt and pant legs. "It's fine. No one got hurt."

The girl interjected. "I think that sweater would count as a causality of war." She pointed a finger at Kathy's sweater. She had probably landed on the boys unfinished drink and had gotten it all over her sweater.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry!" The blonde sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, blue eyes looking at Kathy implioringly. "Here," He reached into his pocket for his wallet. "Let me pay for that."

Kathy held up her hands. "No! No, really. It's fine." She pulled her sweater over her head and examined the shirt underneath. "Look, my shirts fine so everything's cool."

The boy bit his lower lip, obviously unsure of whether or not he should accept that. His girlfriend laid a hand on his arm. "Jason, it's fine." There was a strange way she said that, like there was an extra meaning to her words. Not only that, but a strange feeling swept over Khrys then. Like something smooth and soft -velvety almost- had wrapped itself around her. All other emotions slipped away, leaving behind only a sense of calm that most definitely hadn't been there before. Khrys shook her head wildly and the feeling left as suddenly as it had come.

What was that? Khrys thought. She looked at the girlfriend, prepared to ask her what she had done, but it was too late. They were already walking out of the door, hand in hand.

"Oh." The words breezed past her lips. "I had wanted to ask that strange girl what she did."

Kathy looked at her with a gasp, her baby blue eyes wide. "You felt that too?"

Khrys nodded. "Yeah... it was so weird." She shook her head, caramel hair falling in her face. She brushed it back in irritation.

"Definitely was. And did you see the guys arm? He had a tattoo." Kathy lowered her voice like she was whispering.

Kathy blinked in surprise. "Really? He doesn't seem like a guy who would have a tattoo. Or maybe it was just the glasses speaking." She shrugged her shoulders.

"No, Khrys." Kathy laughed. She folded her sweater up and tucked it under her arm. "I mean, he's got a tattoo. Like, really similar to the ones the school has." Kathy extended her arm, twisting it so the pale underside was facing upwards. "Like, it looks like mine but different." Kathy mused. "Maybe he's from school? No, I've never seen him before and he's too old to be one of the newer students." Kathy pursed her lips, obviously absorbed in her thoughts of finding out why the strange boy with his strange girlfriend had a strange tattoo.

But Khrys was no longer listening. She was staring intently at the tattoo on the inside of Kathy's arm. Khrys inhaled shakily, her dark brown eyes were wide and riveted to the black ink on the pale skin of Kathy's arm. She knew the meaning of those blasted tattoos.

Khrys knew what it meant for the future. Kathy had decided to join the army, permanently and totally. That was what it meant to have that inked on the inside of her arm. And that meant that Kathy could die.

I really hate how this ended, but I can't think of any other way to do it that wasn't worse than this. So, you know.

Also, I know I don't deserve this but if you guys could review, it would be amazing. I really enjoy hearing what you guys do and don't like about my chapters, so any feedback whatsoever would be awesome.