Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Rise of the Guardians

Dinner was an awkward affair, the only person that kept dinner from being a silent affair was Sophie; since she kept babbling about what her day had consisted of.

"And then Chrissy accidently spilled glue all over herself, and all the mean kids laughed at her and she broke out crying and the teachers had to take her out to clean her up!" Sophie said her lips pouting as she spoke with the adorable lisp that all three year olds seemed to acquire.

"That's quite interesting" Mom said smiling.

Dawn said nothing just slipped deeper into her seat in an attempt to not be noticed.

Mother then turned her attention to Jamie, "Anything interesting happen at school today, Jamie?"

Jamie sighed and shook his head. "No."

Ms. Bennett pursed her lips at that but kept pushing. "What about the pond? I know you like going their after school to play with Jack Frost?"

Dawn tilted her head in confusion when her mother said that wondering what on earth her mother was doing, asking Jamie about Jack Frost in the tone that suggested that her mother didn't believe when her mother so obviously did, however before she could say anything her mother gave Dawn a quick glare that told Dawn not to ask any questions until later.

Jamie shrugged at that, just becoming more and more angry about how his mother was pretending to believe in something just for his sake instead of telling the truth. Angry that she was asking him questions instead of asking Dawn where she had been for the past 3 years.

Ms. Bennett sighed before turning to her eldest daughter. "Dawn anything you'd want to share?"

Dawn opened her mouth to speak when Jamie exploded. "You want to know what I want to know? Where Dawn was the past 3 years, here I am expecting you to drill her hard for every detail for where she was but all you've done so far, is treat her as though she's never left!"

Dawn sighed. "Jamie… Mom knows where I've been."

Jamie turned his angry eyes to Dawn. His expression full of malice as he turned his rage onto her. "How? You never called, never wrote, never contacted us at all since you've left."

Dawn shook her head but did not answer Jamie.

"Jamie" Ms. Bennett warned "That's enough."

Jamie turned to glare at his mother, his mouth was open as though to yell at her before closing it and with a growl he left the table and stalked upstairs; after a few seconds a loud resonating bang was heard as Jamie slammed his bedroom door closed.

Ms. Bennett put a hand to her face and let it drag down her face. She turn to stare at Dawn. "Maybe we should tell Jamie the truth." Ms. Bennett said softly to herself but Dawn heard her.

Dawn scoffed. "Oh yeah and have him hate me more? No thanks."

Ms. Bennett sighed. "It wasn't your fault Dawn." She said softly.

Dawn shook her head. "Had I just been able to fight back-"

Ms. Bennett shook her head. "You were a ten-year-old girl, Dawn, no one could have expected that from you"

Dawn shook her head her head tilted downwards. "Annabeth Chase was 7 years old when she fought off a cyclops, I should have been able to kill that monster."

Ms. Bennett put a hand on Dawn's. "You're not Annabeth Chase." Her mother said. "You're you."

Dawn continued to look down at her hands. "I'm the reason daddy's dead" Dawn her eyes starting to become moist as tears threatened to spill.

Her mother shook her head, got up from the table, walked around it, until she was right beside Dawn and knelt down in front of her, and took Dawn's hand as she did so. "No Dawn, that monster is the reason James is dead, you're the reason he died a hero." Her mother said softly.

Dawn stared at her mother for a moment before she fell out of her chair and into her mother's arms and broke down crying.

"It'll be ok" Her mother said stroking her daughter's hair. "It'll be ok."

Dawn's mental state wasn't going to fix itself over night. She wasn't going to all of a sudden stop blaming herself for James death, or for the death of her comrades, but for that moment, she felt all that weight on her chest lift, as she just let herself cry.

Shortly afterwords Dawn declared herself tired and went upstairs to sleep. She had been upstairs only a few seconds when Mrs. Bennett heard someone speak from behind her.

"She's hurting, Katherine"

Mrs. Bennett looked down when she heard the familiar baritone of Dawn's father. "I know." She folded her arms across her chest as she turned around.

Apollo was leaning against the kitchen sink, he was wearing a sun colored t-shirt with sleeves cut away, his arms folded across his chest. His blue jeans looked faded and worn but even with all that he still looked quite handsome.

Katherine Bennett started to clear the table and Apollo moved out of the way so she could start the dishes.

"This is not going to go away" Mrs. Bennett said. "The war took a toll on her, mix that in with the death of her father..." When Mrs. Bennett said the word 'father' Apollo started to glare, and she glared back at him. "No he helped me raise her, he was a father to her, and you can not deny that."

Apollo stopped glaring after and nodded "You speak the truth." He told her.

That was as close to an 'you are right' as Katherine ever got. Even when they were dating Apollo hated admitting when he was wrong.

"I thought her getting away from the reminders of all the comrades she lost would help, She seemed to have moved passed the death of your husband."

Katherine sighed. "I think that was just the image she portrayed." She said. "No, I don't think she lied-" She interjected when it looked as though Apollo was going to complain. "I think she just pushed the sadness she felt to the back of her mind, as a result her guilt never got the attention it deserved, think about it Apollo, if she truly had moved on, wouldn't she have come home on her own without you having to send her?"

Apollo looked down hating to admit that perhaps Dawn was better at fooling others then he had thought, so much so that even for a while she may have even fooled herself.

"I'd take her to a psychologist" Katherine continued while rubbing her brow. "However, a lot of her problems stem from the fact that she is part of a world that many don't - can't - believe in, she would have to hide a lot and that wouldn't help."

"And my kids can't lie" Apollo sighed. Oh they could keep quiet and tell half-truths but outright lying was almost impossible for a child of Apollo.

Katherine nodded. "I want her to talk to me, but I don't know what she's going through, and I don't know how to help with that, I can only help with physical injuries, I can't help with things I can't understand."

Apollo sighed. "You're already helping her" Apollo said. "By making sure she has someone to listen to when she's ready to break down, your helping, but perhaps your right," He told her thoughtfully. "I do have a son, that is taking courses to become a psychologist, better than that he knows her, and what she's been through I could ask him to drop in occasionally and talk to her."

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "And you think he'll be able to help her?"

Apollo nodded "I'm certain" He told her.

A/N For those of you wondering I am not at this current point planning on adding in the Hero's of Olympus into this story so for now just consider this story after battle of Manhattan AU.