Happy Chinese New Years! I recomend reading MEOW! on my profile before this, but I guess you don't have to. This is set a day after that one, though... Oh, and just sayin', Nico's gonna be in a lot of my stuff, cause he's awesome! Yay! And Piper's will be on Valentine's Day! Also, I'm doing an Ella and Tyson chapter later after the seven!
Nico: Ah ha! I'm awesome!
Me: Shut up.
Frank's POV
Bow? Check. Quiver? Check. Arrows? Check. Ready for Nico di Angelo to kiss my arrow if he ever tries something like yesterday again? Triple checked. I was about to become Hannibal's twin, completed with a black, bulletproof Kevlar vest with the name FRANK on it, but Hazel somehow calmed me down. I think it was because I didn't want my girlfriend's scary psychopathic horse chasing me after killing her brother.
But anyways, Sally invited me and Annabeth over to visit at four o' clock because her husband wanted to meet me. And also because a few Romans are visiting Camp Half-Blood (including me) and New York is right up the path. Another reason? I want to get Hazel a Valentine's gift soon.
Lots of excuses, huh?
Paul's POV
Hmm... A son of Mars. A descendent of Poseidon. Has a family gift. My half-step-great-times-a-thousand-grandson.
Demigod relationships are scary. Say, Hazel is friends with Leo, her ex-boyfriend's great grandson. Frank is Percy's nephew. Hazel and Nico are both over seventy years old. Annabeth is Percy's second cousin. Frank is Chinese, Canadian, Greek, and Roman. Thalia and Jason are blood siblings, with the same godly parent in a different form. Which basically turns them into three quarter siblings. Stuff like that. Shudder.
Knock knock. Scuffle. BANG. BONK. Knock knock. ~Shriek~
"Paul, that's Frank, Annabeth and Percy. Would you mind getting the door?" Sally called from her computer.
"Sure thing." I crossed the room wondering about all that noise and yanked open the door (it's been fixed from the third time Clarisse broke it).
Something bulky stumbled into me with a yelp. I yelled out in surprise (and because it wasn't exactly like hitting a pillow).
"Oh, sorry! Sor- Percy! -ry!" it apologised getting off me.
"No prob- oof!" Another being slammed into me.
"Whoops, sorry Paul," Percy said, dragging Annabeth behind him.
Come 'on, you know what happened next.
"Percy, don't drag me so fast, I'm gonn- Arge!" My step-son turned a corner too quickly and Annabeth flew into me.
Then the first giant thing (I assume its Frank) that hit me got up and promptly tripped over us.
"Oww." It was a perfect three part harmony of moaning.
"Oh, Hades!" Percy swore.
Sally appeared holding ambrosia and an ice pack. "Anyone feeling for ice cream?"
Frank's POV
~sigh~ I can hear grandmother's voice calling me a clumsy ox right now. That, she's right. But at least I've gotten better.
"Chocolate, Butterscotch, or Oreo?" Sally asked.
"Oreo," Annabeth said at the same time as Percy.
They smirked. "Remember when the antelope tried to eat your cookie?" she teased him. (A/N: I'm talking about the time in TLT when Ares gives them the ride, backpack, and double Oreos. Has a reference in TMoA)
Sally decided Chocolate and the other man got Butterscotch.
"Umm, I'm lactose intolerant," I said uncomfortably, shuffling my feet.
"Really? I'll have your bowl," a familiar voice offered.
Nico di-Pluto-Angelo strolled into the kitchen. He froze when he saw me.
"Or not. Good bye!" He ran out and shadow travelled away.
"What was that about?" the man asked.
Paul's POV
Well, that was... weird.
Meh, it wasn't as weird as the time when Percy freaked out at a pigeon and thought it was an owl. (Hmm... considering)
"... So you're Paul, right?" the big guy asked. "I'm Frank Zhang, son of Mars."
"Nice to meet you," I said. "Hazel told me all about you."
He blushed and looked like a big, cute panda. A big, cute, and very muscular panda. Hazel and Percy were definitely right about him being the only nice child of war.
"Mind to tell me this family gift you have? No one wanted to 'ruin the surprise'."
Frank, Annabeth, and Sally smiled while Percy frowned.
"I still think it's unfair," he muttered.
Annabeth smacked his arm. "Percy!"
"Right, so what is it?" I wanted to know badly. "Can you make a bigger hurricane than Percy, or something?"
Percy snorted. "As if! My dad's the freaking god of those!"
"So what is it?" Gods, can they just spit it out?!
Sally giggled. "I think I'll make you guess."
I groaned. "Fine. He's smarter than Annabeth?"
Percy sniffed. "Yes, like anyone can be smarter than my Wise Girl. Geez, Paul!"
Annabeth smiled smugly.
"Can he fly?"
Percy shook his head as Frank started to smirk. "That's Jason."
"He can make really good dumplings?"
"Nope, he- wait, what?!"
The five of us started cracking up. I raked my brains.
"Oh! I've got it! He can..."
The four leaned in.
"... Read minds!"
They looked at me weirdly.
"The mind cannot be read. It is only a-"Annabeth started but got cut off by Percy and Frank.
"No."
"Drat. Just tell me already!" I said exasperatedly.
Frank put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'm a shape shifter."
I stared at him. "Like you can change into anything you want? Seriously?"
"Animals. Living things not including people or plants," Sally told me.
"Like a dragon," Percy pouted. Annabeth laughed and kissed him on the nose which brought on the old goofy grin.
My inner kid self came to life. "Really?! That is so cool! Can you show me?!"
"The thing is, the Mist might keep on fooling you," Annabeth pointed out.
"I don't care!"
"Uh, okay," Frank said and walked out. In his place, a baby elephant trotted in. Well, that's what it seemed like through the Mist.
"AWESOME!" I yelled. Frank came back. "I couldn't see through the Mist but that was still totally AWESOME!"
Sally and Annabeth laughed. Percy scowled playfully. "Yes, well, he got that from Poseidon! Not fair!"
Frank looked at him. "You can explode freakin' volcanoes! And summon personal whirlwinds!"
"Still, not cool!"
"Wait; tell me about your ancient blood thing!" I begged.
"Sure?" Frank glanced at Percy. He nodded as if to say, "Yeah, just do it and get over with it."
And so he did. This was all, of course, while the four of us ate ice cream. Excluding dear lactose intolerance Frankie.
Fifteen minutes later
"Hey, Percy, can you come help me go shop for Hazel's Valentine's present?" Frank asked.
Percy nodded. "Never shop without another man, that's my rule."
Annabeth flicked his ear teasingly. "Hey, does that mean you haven't bought me my present yet?"
He stuttered out, "Huh? Yea- yeah! I mean no! 'Course I've got you one! Let's go, Frank!" and dragged him out of the door after grabbing their Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter black Polartec jackets.
Nico appeared again.
"Great! Can I have his ice cream now?"
