A/N: Hola. Chapter twenty-one, coming right up! This one isn't a flashback, but it leads up to one…..sort of….anyway, enjoy and review please!
Disclaimer: Don't own PJO.
Copyright: Usual. Steal and I do something bad. I think I'll send Juno after you. If you think that's not that bad, I can't wait till you read chapter twenty-two. Bwahahahahahahahaha.
Chapter XXI
Juno
Surprises…..and a Lot of Them
Nico and I had a long conversation about how annoying and confusing parents can be. "And then, she said, 'I need to tell you something. Something every girl needs to know'….." I paused, letting the words sink in. Nico stared at me, confused; then suddenly jumped. "Oh gods! That is just wrong!" he exclaimed. "I know, right? That's what I said!" I agreed. Nico and I burst out laughing and we couldn't stop until Nico thought of something. "She, uh…..didn't actually talk to you about that stuff, did she?" Nico asked nervously. I shook my head. "No. She just said to come talk to you." Nico tilted his head, obviously confused. "Why me?" he asked. I shrugged. "I mean," Nico continued. "I don't have anything to do with…well, anything!"
I nodded in agreement and shrugged again. We waited in awkward silence for awhile until Nico tried desperately again to make conversation. "So…Hera's really your mom, huh?" I nodded. "Who's your dad?" I opened my mouth to answer, but suddenly my mind went blank and I frowned in confusion. "I-I don't know," I told Nico. "I don't remember." Nico's eyes widened. "No!" I exclaimed, remembering his own past. "I was not dipped in the River Lethe! I-I just-…I was taken to Castra Roma a long time ago. I haven't seen my dad since. That's the one and only reason I don't remember him, okay? Just trust me."
Nico nodded, but didn't look convinced. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "I'll see your later, Nico. I-I gotta go," I said, looking at my feet. Nico didn't answer, so I sighed and left the cabin. When I got back to Cabin 2, guess what was waiting for me in my marble mother's hands? You guessed it! Sandwiches. "NOT GONNA HAPPEN, MOM!" I screamed at the sky. Thunder boomed. I'm not going to comment this time, Zeus told me. I do not want to get hit again. So, naturally, he got hit again. I rolled my eyes. I sat down on the floor (since the stupid centaur didn't even bother to give me a bed) and closed my eyes. Like I'd really be able to fall asleep.
I woke up at the one place that would always be most familiar to me. What the Hades am I doing here? I thought as I looked around. "I brought you here to talk," a very, very familiar voice said. My eyes widened as I stood and turned toward the sound. "Mom?" Hera smiled at me. She looked different than the way I usually saw her; more like her statue in my cabin. "That's because I'm Hera, not Juno," my mom told me, apparently able to read my mind. "I'm Greek," Mom continued, not looking at me. "And so are you." She said the last part so quietly, I wasn't sure I'd heard her correctly. I blinked. "Huh?" I asked her. My mother sighed. "You are a Greek," she repeated. "What the Hades?" I muttered. "There you go!" Mom exclaimed, making me jump about a foot in the air.
"You just proved you're a Greek! You said Hades! Not Pluto." I opened my mouth to protest, but realized she was right. "How come I've never felt Greek?" I asked. "Not till recently, anyway. And why did you take me to Castra Roma instead of Camp Half-Blood? And how come I suddenly speak Italian? And who's my dad? And why don't I remember him? And why-"
"One question at a time, please," Mom interrupted. I took a deep breath and asked, "Who is my father?"
A/N: Ooooh, cliffie! Sort of! Anyway, next chapter might take a while, just warning you, cause it's the only one I haven't actually written yet. But don't worry, it'll be soonish. Review please!