AN: So from here on outwards, I am planning on writing much larger chapters, seeing as a few things are going to be changing and spiced up a bit. There will still be some main points that happened from the first book, just to set down a foundation for what I want to take place next.

Chapter 16 – Warning Shot

"Ash!"

I look up at the voice, seeing everyone look at me with concern.

"W-What?" I rasp out.

"You have been sitting there in silence for almost half an hour." Grover says, worriedly.

I glance up towards the clock. Surely enough it has been almost a half hour since the bombshell hit. I raise my arm to wipe my tears but all that is there is the dry remains of the salty liquid of pain.

"Explain everything" I say.

ASHTON POV

My parents exchange glances before my mom starts speaking.

"I wasn't actually born in South Africa" she explains. "I was originally born here, in America. At age five, both my parents died in an accident. After my parents died, both me and my twin sister were taken in by our uncle who looked after us."

She sighed, her eyes unfocused as she seemed to try and catch threads of a past memory.

"I attended school as usual and when I reached high school, I was lucky enough to be chosen for a fully-payed exchange program to go to South Africa. It was there I met your dad." She continued, glancing towards my dad and smiling at the end.

"What about your sister?" I asked.

My mom frowned slightly.

"Unfortunately, only one person was allowed for the exchange program. She decided to stay and study here."

"Alright" I say, slowly grasping the idea then paused. "Why didn't you ever mention you had a sister, mom? What is her name?"

My mom sighed heavily. My dad grabbed her hand, rubbing it, encouraging her to go on.

"Because I swore on the River Styx to never mention her until absolutely necessary, and even then, I still can't reveal all the information such as her name."

Both Grover and Annabeth gasped and looked at each other with wide eyes while a frown emerged on Percy's face.

"The River Sticks?" I ask. "What has a river of sticks have anything to do with anything and why is everyone riled up at this name?"

"It's an oath" my dad explains. "One that has dire consequences should it be broken."

"But why sticks?" I ask again.

"Not sticks, Ashton" Grover says nervously, "Styx. S-T-Y-X"

'Styx, Styx, I have heard that name before'

"Ashton, they are referring the Greek river, Styx. The river that separates the living and the dead."

"You mean the Greek Myths" I ask puzzled. "What has this to do anything about Myths and Legends."

The room started to darken and cool at my words. It was as if the air around me hummed in annoyance at the phase.

"They aren't myths" the blonde says scornfully. "They are real, just like the gods in those 'myths' and just like those 'myths', those gods had children, of which we are."

I frown at her look. She is looking down on me. Rather, she does not even want to be here. She has been dragged here by force.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Princess" I retort.

Shock covers Annabeth's face before it is quickly replaced with anger.

"Who do you think you are calling Princess" she hisses, rising from her chair rapidly making her way to me.

"Uh oh" mutters Percy.

I look towards Percy with a questioning look; however, I don't have much time to receive an answer as I feel a strong force connect with the side of my face, causing me to recoil in pain.

I grab at my face and let out a small gasp of pain.

I hear shuffling and mumbling, but I am too out of it to hear exactly was going on. Still grasping the side of my face, I begin to taste a familiar taste of iron. I gently lift my other hand to my mouth, lightly touching my lips. Sure enough, it was there. The warm, crimson liquid – blood.

It was then a realized what had happened. I had been punched by the blonde, Annabeth. When I looked at Percy, I let her out of my sights temporarily, and she struck.

I then begin to feel the throbbing pain in my cheek, proof that my body decided that I had got enough adrenaline for the punch.

I collect the blood in my mouth, roughly swallowing the warm liquid. After forcing the mouthful of blood down my throat, I straighten myself up, focusing my attention back to the fuming blonde who was currently being held back by a very panicky Grover.

"Leave her, Grover. It's fine. She won't punch me again" I say.

Grover looks at me as if I was a madman. He clearly thought that she would continue to punch me if he let go.

"A-Ash, I don't think that's a good idea. I-"

"Grover" I repeat calmly, "It's fine."

Grover looks between the two of us, hesitantly, before slowly releasing his grip from Annabeth's shoulders.

Annabeth makes her way back over to me, causing Grover to start panicking again, but I raise a hand to stop him.

Annabeth stops about a meter in front of me, before hissing, "You seem pretty confident I won't punch you again"

I slowly nod my head.

"I am, after all, that was a warning shot, wasn't it?" I reply.

A frown adorns Annabeth's face at my words, her eyes running over my face, looking for an expression.

"Hmph, perhaps you aren't as dumb as you look" she snorts.

I force on a smile at her words, as she leaves the room, leaving my shocked parents, a confused Percy, and a relieved Grover.

"Um, what just happened?" asks Percy.

I sigh.

"It seems she does not like the nickname, though I can't blame her" I say frowning, "She was just giving me a warning. If she meant harm, you would have aimed a bit higher"

Grover looks at me shocked.

"H-how do you know that?" asks Grover.

"Because. I have done the same thing to someone else" I reply sombrely, "but there is a huge difference between us. She aimed for it, I happened to luckily hit someone in that spot. She has been taught to fight"

Percy lets out a strained laughed.

"Yeah, too much experience" he says.

I look at him confused but he waves it off, implying he will tell me later.

I sigh and turn back to my shocked parents, who seem to have frozen at the incident.

"Alright, can we try this again? I would really like to know what is going on."

My voice seems to have shaken them from their daze. They scan my face with worry.

"I'm fine." I reply simply, "It will hurt for a bit but no major damage"

They do a once more over my face before slowly nodding.

"Right" my mom says, "Where were we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I threw my backpack at the feet of my bus seat before flopping down on the chair. I close my eyes and lean back, sighing in deep thought.

I hear someone take the seat next to me.

Silence. That could only mean one thing.

"I'm surprised you didn't choose to sit next to Grover."

"Why do you say Grover? I could have sat next to Percy?"

I chuckle at the thought before slowly opening my eyes, wincing slightly at the pain from the rubbing of the bruise that has reached just below my eye. I turn my head and glance at the blonde next to me, her grey eyes observing me silently.

"You seem to despise him more than me"

"I have just met you; I can't have grown to loathe you that quickly" she replies simply.

I just sigh at her comment.

"We both know that isn't the full truth." I retort.

Silence.

"You do know that you don't have to hate him just because your parents hate each other, right?" I continue.

Annabeth pulls a face before quickly responding, "It's not just that, he is an idiot as well, just like you. Though at least you seem to have some brain cells"

I let her words rest in the air, glancing out the window to see Percy and Grover coming back from the bathroom and boarding the bus.

"He isn't an idiot" I state simply, "In fact, he is smarter than he lets on. He just does not see it that way. As for why you have not seen it yet, well, he is stressed. He has lost his mom; he is going to make rash decisions. This isn't a proper representation of how he normally acts."

I glance back at Annabeth, the expression on her face showing that she is in deep thought, rapidly analysing my choice of words.

After a while, she opens her mouth but quickly closes it, changing her mind about saying something last second.

Instead, she just stands up, grabs her stuff and takes the seat behind mine, leaving the seat open for either Grover or Percy.

'More like Percy. No way is she going to let him sit to her at this point in time' I think.

I sigh slightly to myself, before closing my eyes and letting my mind go into thought.

I had received too much information from our small chat at my house. Finding out that I am a demigod? That is a lot to handle. It does not make things better not knowing who my godly parent is.

I hear a sigh beside me and someone taking a seat.

"We will get her back" I simply state, not needing to know who it was.

I slowly open my eyes and look to my raven-haired friend, seeing the frown rest on his face.

"I am going to do whatever it takes to get her back, but what happens if it isn't enough?"

I let out a small snort.

"Please" I say, "This is you we are talking about. When you put your mind to something, you make sure it goes through."

"You sound pretty confident" Percy replies.

"I am" I say, nodding. "After all, you have yet to prove my statement wrong while I am around."

Percy mumbles something under his breathe.

"Care to share what you just said?" I ask.

Percy just waves off my request.

I frown slightly at that, but quickly turn to face the window, not letting him see it.

Silence.

"It's not your fault"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because it's not your fault you were born."

With that said, the bus started, and we began our journey.