I looked down, suddenly finding I let out a deep breath, sighing calm myself down. I tried to stay calm but with my mother freaking out it was hard for me not to. She slowly regained composure and shakily smiled. I knew she was forcing it.

"It's going to be ok Mom, he always turns up somehow," I said.

She chuckled sadly. "I know he does. Thank you Jase, for always being so strong."

I gained an interest in my feet. "Thanks, Mom."

She smiled, curving her hand around my cheek. "You're getting so big, Jase," She said quietly. It was silent for a moment then she asked, "Could you get Oscar and his stuff ready?"

"Of course. I love you, Mom."

"Love you too Jase." She offered a quick hug, then rushed to Casey's room to get my sisters and explain to Casey what was going on. I grabbed Oscar's extra diaper bag, which was always parked by the door in case we needed to leave in a hurry. I took it out to the car and carefully opened the van door. I put Oscar's bag under his seat and buckled him in. Oscar began to cry, so I rocked the seat back and forth and gave him his pacifier. Teething was not a fun process.

Soon, Casey opened the door with Adora in one hand and two duffel bags in the other. She held up the bags when she got in the backseat.

"I grabbed yours too, you seemed a little busy." She smirked and stuffed the dark green bag under my seat. She was better than me at hiding her stress.

"Styx! I completely forgot about my stuff! Thanks, Cas."

...

Car rides in the Jackson van were never quiet. There were two small kids, and everybody in the car was ADHD. Adora got bored about five minutes into the ride, making me glad we only lived 15 minutes away from Camp.

"Are we going to see Daddy at Camp?" Adora's question created complete silence in the car. Oscar got back to chewing on his pacifier. Mom opened her mouth to speak but hesitated in search for something to say.

"I don't know, you just have to be patient sis'," I answered. Mom smiled in relief and glanced back at me in gratitude. We pulled up to the road outside Camp and Mom nearly ripped the door open as soon as the van was stopped. She waited as we got out of the car, looking as if she might explode. I knew she was only trying to be calm for us.

"Mom, we got it, we'll meet you there." Casey motioned for her to go, knowing that she would go insane if she didn't get up there soon. Mom kissed me quickly on the cheek and gave the rest of our clan a quick hug before rushing up the hill. Casey and I got the little kids out of the car and grabbed the rest of the stuff. I grabbed Oscar and Casey rushed up the hill after Adora, leaving me at the bottom. I sighed, grabbed the two bags, made sure Oscar was secure in my arms and bolted up after them. I passed Peleus and patted him on the head. I could hear him rumble beneath me but knew he wasn't trying to warn me off. I had been hanging out with that dragon since I was Oscar's age and Peleus actually liked me, so I wasn't worried about it. I turned around when I heard Casey yelling. Casey got her hype from Mom, so I feared for whoever she was yelling at. I ran towards her and when I got there, it looked like Casey was about to throw punches. Between her and the border was a new demigod, probably doing guard duty.

"Cas? What's with all the yelling?" I called as I approached her. She turned to me, and I raised my eyebrows. Her red face slowly went back to normal.

"He won't let me through the border!" she fumed. The demigod looked like he was about to crap himself. We didn't use to have security like this on the borders but there are still rogue demigods that try to get into Camp to cause trouble.

"Calm down Casey, he's just doing his job," I said. She closed her eyes and I put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. I turned to the demigod. He had light blonde hair and blue eyes and the bow and arrows slung across his back made it obvious that he was the son of Apollo. "I'm Jase Jackson, nice to meet you. This is my sister Casey. She's sorry about all the yelling, and that's Adora over there, and this here is Oscar," I introduced the small group. His eyes widened into saucers.

"Ja-Jackson?"

I smiled, "You got it. Now we have to go, nice to meet you Sunny." I walked right past him, and he let me. He stared at us in disbelief. Casey smirked in satisfaction. I quickly ran to the big house, with my siblings on my heels.

"Chiron!" Adora yelled, causing the centaur to turn around and walk down the steps to greet us.

"Children, how nice to see you," he said. I could see the stress in his eyes and I knew it was about my dad. A knot built up in my throat but I forced it down. I couldn't think about it.

"Hey Chiron, any news?" I asked, hoping for the best. He bent his head in what I recognized as shame. I couldn't imagine the guilt Chiron felt every time another demigod went missing or was killed. He'd been here for so long, I just couldn't understand how he managed it.

"I am sorry, child. Not yet."

I sighed, closing my eyes. Casey came up behind me and slung her arm through mine.

"It's ok Jase. Mom can figure this out, and we can help. We have the Romans to help us too. This isn't going to be last time," she reassured. I nodded. Suddenly, the door of the big house burst open and Jonathan Grace pulled to a stop behind me, his twin sister Katrina, or Kat as we called her, crashing into him. The pair didn't look a lot like their parents. Johnathan's hair was colored like his mom's but he didn't keep it cut choppy and uneven. His hair was neatly trimmed like Jason's. He and Kat both had slightly lighter skin tone than their mom. Jonathan had his Dad's eyes, while Kat's eyes mirrored her Piper's. Kat had short blonde hair that reached her chin in a bob. They both seemed to inherit their Grandmother's genes when it came to looks.

"Guys!" Jonathan yelled, crowding us all into a big family hug. His eyes were wide and the worry I saw made him look a lot younger than thirteen

"Hey Jonathan, Kat. Any news?" Casey greeted them with a hug

Kat leaned over her brother's shoulder to see us as she spoke. "It's Mom and Dad! They're gone!" My mouth gaped open. "Just like Uncle Percy!" she quickly added. My brain went haywire, trying to find the connection.

Then I figured it out. Of course! It was so obvious! I quickly handed Oscar to Chiron.

"Kat, IM the Zhangs, Jonathan, help Chiron watch Adora and Osi, please. Casey, come with me. We need to get Mom."

Chiron nodded. I grabbed Casey's hand and bolted for the Poseidon cabin. Usually, we stayed in the Poseidon cabin because we liked having the cabin to ourselves, and I knew that's where Mom would go. I quickly pushed the door open using my shoulder and froze at the sight in front of me. The cabin was a mess, even more so than usual. It looked like Uncle Jason had come through here with anger issues and his power of the winds. Everything was broken and on the ground, but that's not what bothered me. What bothered me was the large circular scorch mark on the floor and the blood pooled around it. I heard a gasp behind me.

"Jase?"

I pushed her back."Casey, get back."

"Jase..."

"Casey! Get back to the big house!" I practically steamrolled her out the door, wrenching it closed behind me. My cousins met me halfway. Casey was near tears and I was doing all I could to hold myself together at this point.

Mom was gone.

(Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed! I also am working on another book, Percy Jackson and the Avengers, so check that out if it sounds like something you'd like? I update daily on both books, so come back tomorrow if you want more! :) )