Hey all, thanks for the reviews they mean a lot! Hope you enjoy this next update! As always thank you for the positive support :)

~secrethalfblood

Lpov

I threw open the door and stepped into the familiar house, still slightly panicked, rubbing my temples and heart racing wildly with the knowledge of how badly I'd just screwed myself.

"Jake!" I shouted, not caring who I was waking up at this hour.

I heard a scramble of activity in the living room and, momentarily distracted, I walked towards it only to see a half-disheveled Celeste pushing off of Jake and springing off the couch as he sat up.

"Yes?" he asked mildly as she went bright red and I shook my head, digging into my temples harder.

"I don't even want to know." I said closing my eyes before making a dismissive gesture. "Just… just, get her out of here."

"Sorry sweetheart." Jake said and I heard his weight shift as he got to his feet.

Celeste made an indignant noise.

"You can't be serious…"

"As a heart attack. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Don't bother." She snapped shooting me a filthy look as she stormed out of the living room, muttering to herself. "I should have known. All the other guys at school does whatever the succubus tells them. Why should he be any different?"

"Succubus is new." I said with a vague appreciation of the creativity in the malice, but her next words were nothing but pure venom.

"Oh don't worry," she spat. "The girls have another name for you at school. It also starts with an ."

"There it is."

"Get out Celeste." Jake retorted angrily, but she'd reached for the door.

"Already gone."

"It's not Jake's fault your boyfriend is an ass." I called after her.

She called me a few more names as she fixed her dress, then slammed the door behind her.

Jake watched looking an odd mixture of amused and a little disappointed before turning back to me.

"You owe me."

"What? Because of Celeste?"

"Are you aware of how hot she is?"

"I'm aware that she has three shop lifting charges and four credit cards with no limits paid off by daddy." I said raising my eyebrows at him. "You should be thanking me from saving you from that spoiled princess."

It was clear she'd gone after Jake because she thought it would annoy me, and hadn't expected to be kicked out if I turned up. I could imagine after the events on the boardwalk earlier, it was a bit like rubbing salt into the wound.

"Maybe you're not aware of this Lore," he said sitting back on the couch, and while his tone was calm, the look he shot me was significant. "But spoiled princesses with daddy issues are kind of my specialty. I handle them quite well."

"Oh shut up." I said glowering at him and he grinned.

"See?" he asked easily. "I'm not even mad at you."

I didn't answer this and he frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I fucked up Jake." I said quietly. Already the panic and stress had manifested into a head ache, spiking somewhere just behind my eyes as my brain tried to kick itself in to over drive. "Like, so, so bad."

The pain wasn't helping.

"How bad is so bad?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "Like are we calling lawyers bad? Or is someone gonna key my car? Well," he shrugged. "Besides Celeste."

"Can you be serious?"

"I am being serious." he said with a significant look. "Both have happened with you. More than once."

I wanted to argue with him over this but didn't, probably because we both knew he had a point.

"No lawyers." I said. "Where's your mom?"

"She said she had a date."

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was several hours passed midnight.

"Is everyone hooking up tonight?" I asked impatiently.

"Everyone but you maybe," he said then frowned. "Though I'd rather you not bring my mom into this conversation. She's practically your mom too."

"At least your mother's love life isn't plastered all over ancient history." I pointed out. "But I'm glad she's out."

"Why?"

"Because I need to talk to mine."

"And you just expect her to show up?" he said with a laugh. "Good luck with Loo."

"She will." I said darkly. If I irritated her enough. "You still got that mirror in the guest room?"

"The huge one?" he asked and I nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Can you bring it outside by the fire pit and start a fire? A big one."

"Sure." He said sounding confused. "But why?"

"Because," I started walking towards the stairs and making my way towards the second level. "I might not get along with my mom, but I sure as Olympus know how to piss her off."

…..

It didn't take long to grab what I needed, and when I stepped out onto the patio carrying what felt like my entire wardrobe, I saw Jake easing the mirror against a tree.

It was about as tall as I was and about as wide as the dining room table. I knew it was heavy, but Jake didn't seem so much as winded as he poured what I assumed was gas on to what was left of the charred logs in the stone pit.

"You going to let me in on what you're up to?" he asked as I uncapped a bottle of lipstick and start etching symbols onto the glass.

"You're going to want to back up." I said flatly.

I dropped the tube and it rattled as it hit the stone set in artful patterns over the ground.

I walked over to the piles of clothes grabbed a pair of my more ridiculous heels with scarlet souls and dropped them into the flames.

"Ok…" Jake said uncertainly, but ignored him, tossing a scarf into the pile, followed by a silk shirt.

"Did you take a vow of poverty or something?" Jake asked sarcastically as I poured more gas onto the flame.

"If I'd done that I would have donated this." I said grabbing a hand bag and tossing it on to the fire as well.

"Holy-" Jake said backing up as the flames spiked.

They were taller than I was at this point and I squinted at the mirror.

The reflective surface within the ring of symbols had taken on a bonze shimmering quality, something beyond just reflected fire light.

"I can see you." I said irritated as the shadowy figure blipped in and out of the metal.

"Lore." Jake started sounding a little concerned as I went for another pair of shoes. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." I said selecting a pallet of eyeshadows instead and tossing it into the fire.

"Because it looks like you've snapped."

I ignored this as the fire started sparking and shimmering, first a shower of golds, then shifting towards purples and blues, spanning the colors in the pallet.

I tossed in a bronzer followed by several shades of nail polishes for good measure before walking over to the mirror and spotting not my reflection, but the face of a gorgeous blonde whose light eyes were narrowed at me. Her perfect features set into an expression of disapproval.

I knew that look.

My mother wasn't impressed.

"Come and stop me then." I invited, spreading my arms wide in a challenging gesture before turning back to the fire grabbing multiple pairs of clothes, dresses, designer jackets and jeans, and tossing them on to the flames.

"Lorelei," my mother's voice snapped from the mirror. "That's enough."

"Oh I'm just getting started." I said surprised to hear the barely controlled hysteria in my voice.

"Lore," Jake warned as the flames reached higher, inches from the leaves of the trees who's branches extended over the patio, but I ignored him.

I found a pair of ruby studs and tossed them in as well.

"Lorelei!" My mother shouted sounding scandalized. "Those were a gift from your-"

"My father?" I asked with a laugh. "Yeah, he bought me these too."

I grabbed several more hand bags and chucked them.

"Bye."

"If you want to waste thousands of dollars burning your own possessions go right ahead daughter. I won't stop you." my mother snapped testily. "I've had enough of this childish-"

But I reached into the pile and pulled out a glittering silver chain, the delicate charms glinting somewhat sinisterly in light radiating from the column of flame.

I held it out and the bronze glow of the mirror grew stronger.

"Lorelei!"

I relaxed my grip letting the chain start to slip and there was a flash of golden light as a figure stepped out of the mirror.

"Don't you dare!" My mother shouted furiously.

I'd seen my mother angry before, but never had I heard her shout like this.

I smirked a little.

"Hi mom."

I opened my palm to show where the clasp was trapped between my index and middle finger, preventing the chain from falling.

"Have you lost your damn mind Lore?" Jake asked quietly but neither my mother nor I looked at him.

"Oh aren't you so clever?" she asked sarcastically, her eyes narrowing with resentment.

There was a flash and my hand stung.

I dropped the bracelet which flew to her open palm.

"You know, for a girl who claims to be ignorant of emotions you seem remarkably adapt at manipulating them." She said throwing me a shrewd expression that I ignored.

"Take off the curse."

"Is that what this tantrum is about?" she asked shaking her head and letting out an exasperated laugh.

"I've learned my lesson." I said and while I'd meant to put anger into the words, now that she was in front of me that anger seemed to be cooling.

"Oh I seriously doubt that." She muttered glaring at the fire.

Dark smoke was billowing into the night sky as expensive metals and fabrics melted and blackened.

"I'm sorry about everything that happened with Caleb." I said quietly, shocked at what sounded almost like desperation in my voice. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you by getting cheated on, and I thought I knew better than my siblings-"

She let out an incredulous noise.

"Caleb?" she asked. "Is that what you think this is? You think I'm angry that you got cheated on?"

I stared at her, astounded.

"Isn't that-"

But she shook her head, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"The divines help me." she muttered sounding a little helpless for a moment, before turning to me, her eyes narrowed.

"Look at you Lorelei." She said critically. "All the love and money you could ever want." She continued gesturing between Jake, herself, and the clothes burning the fire. "Beauty people would kill for, the ability to look however you want. Something even your siblings envy of you. And you throw it all away."

"Love?" I asked with a hollow laugh, though something had started to burn inside of me. "When have you ever loved me?"

It was accompanied by tears for the second time tonight, but I didn't care. I was too angry.

"Lorelei…" my mother started sounding exhausted, but I was shouting now.

"When have I ever been anything but an embarrassment to you? Or my father?" I asked furiously.

"Your father loves you."

"Yeah whenever I do as I'm told." I spat. "The second I express even the tiniest bit of independent thought he was ready to pack his bags and flee the country!"

"Is that what you call the stunt you pulled with his teams fan base? Independent thought? I rather thought that was a tantrum." She said dismissively.

"I'm allowed to be angry!" I almost shouted. "He was just going to leave me."

"Because you gave him so many choices." She said darkly. "Or did you forget everything that happened last winter so easily?"

I glanced at Jake, who'd gone pale.

"That has nothing to do-"

"Nothing to do with it?" she asked indignantly, then gesturing towards the fire pit which was still blazing in designer. "Yes because you've proven to be the most reasonable person in the world. Forgive me if I might have some reservations about your judgement."

I looked at the fire guiltily before turning back to my mother.

"It worked didn't it?" I asked stubbornly.

"Yes," she agreed sardonically. "So does using an excavator to take a poster down," she pointed out. "The only problem is that they have a tendency to take out the wall with it."

"What do you want from me?" I asked her bitterly. "I've apologized mom. You're right. I'm an idiot little girl who doesn't know what she's doing when it comes to love. Is that what you want to hear? Because I know that already."

"What I want." She said deliberately. "Is for you to get a hold of yourself Lorelei. Do you think this is healthy?"

She said gesturing around at the mirror and the fire.

"Shouting and crying and burning things at three in the morning? You have so much potential-"

"Potential." I scoffed. "Potential for what? To be followed around by fans with cameras and gossip blogs when I so much as breathe near a soccer stadium?"

"You are a creative, intelligent, gorgeous young woman Lorelei. And anyone with your talents and abilities could have used her fathers fame to her advantage. But you're so determined set your life and everything in it on fire," she gestured to the pit again. "You don't even consider it. And I don't know why."

I didn't answer this immediately and it seemed to encourage her.

"What I want is for you to manage your emotions like you seem so comfortable doing in other people, before they destroy you. You bottle things up until they're unable to be controlled, and lash out in all directions."

"And what?" I asked venomously. "Dex is supposed to be my acid test?"

"Dex?" she asked sounding confused. "Is that why you're so upset? Hephaestus's boy?"

She looked so perplexed, I almost had to belief her confusion was genuine.

"That's why you want me to remove the curse?"

"No." I said sarcastically. "I just decided to burn all this stuff for fun."

"My point Lorelei, is that that's entirely plausible for you."

But at this point, I was done. I didn't want to hear her excuses. I was tired of always being the one made out to have any blame and feeling like the only way for my parents to ever hear me was when I was screaming at them.

"You left me to deal with this, alone. If you were really so worried about me, why is it I'm only hearing from you now?" I asked her bitterly. "Has it occurred to you that maybe, if you don't want me to burn things, you could have bothered to show up before I started lighting fires?"

"Lorelei-" she started softly but I shook my head.

"Take it off."

"You don't understand…"

"Take it off!"

"I can't!" she shouted and a shock, powerful and painful, went through me at these words.

"What?" I asked softly.

"I can't." she repeated quietly. "I can't take the curse off."

"But, how?" I asked desperately, vaguely aware that my hands had started to shake. "The neckless, it's yours, the curse-"

"That curse wasn't set by me." She said incredulously. "Why would I curse my own possessions?"

"Because it increases your power." I said feeling dizzy, as if I'd been clobbered by a cyclops that had decided to make things personal. "It makes-"

"If all it did was increase my power I could have done that myself. And it wouldn't have been a curse. There's a reason that thing is powered by heart break," she said throwing a dark look at the necklace. "And you can thank your boyfriends father for that."

"Hephaestus?" I asked quietly, but strangely, my voice sounded far away.

This didn't make sense.

She started to say something, but oddly, the words didn't make any sense. It was only when I noticed the ringing in my ears, that I realized it was because I couldn't hear them.

Something icy and agonizing was clawing through me now. Creeping through my veins and picking up speed.

"No." I muttered running my fingers through my hair and starting to pace. I had to think "No, no, no. That can't be right. There has to be a way to fix this, there has to-"

"Lore!"

Distracted, slipped on the tube of lipstick I'd discarded earlier and Jake darted forward before I stumbled into the fire.

"Lore, are you-" he started, but I pushed him away impatiently and looked at my mother.

"How do I fix this?" the ringing had subsided a little but my heart was beating faster than ever, spurring my thoughts into a frenzy that was half hope and half abject panic.

There had to be a solution, a way to work this out.

"Mom how do I fix this?" I asked desperately. "I need to fix it. I can't-"

It was then that I remembered the tears. They were back now, if they'd every truly stopped, worse than ever. I brushed them away quickly, knowing how much she'd hate them, but it was too late. The damage was done.

Already she'd started to shake her head and I knew my time was up.

"Mom." I said my voice breaking. "I need help."

"You know what you need to do." She said quietly, glancing at the burning clothes then back at me. "Stop lighting your life on fire for other people Lorelei. And stop crying over boys."

Panic was gone now and terror had truly started to set in. I was struggling to breathe at this point.

"Mom-"

"They're so rarely ever worth it."

Already her form had started to glow.

"No!" I shouted reaching after her, trying to stop her from abandoning me once again. "You can't leave me like this, you can't leave me to deal with this alo-"

But Jake had grabbed me and forced me to look away.

He was shouting something, probably telling me not to be an idiot and to not get myself vaporized but I didn't care. I struggled, trying to reach after her, to force her to help me out of this. To for once make at least one of my parents stay.

It didn't work. Of course it didn't. It never did and as I cried, trying desperately to push Jake off of my, there was a flash of brilliant gold light and I knew she was gone.

My mother was gone.

She'd left, just like she always did. Like both of my parents always did and it wasn't until I'd stopped trying to fight him that Jake finally let me go.

"Why did you do that?" I shouted at him furiously.

"Lore..."

"I could have stopped her," I said shaking my head and starting to pace again.

I had to think of something. I had to fix this. If my mother wouldn't help me than someone might be able to.

"I could have-"

"You would have gotten yourself killed!" he shouted back and I froze.

I was light headed at this point, feeling dizzy. No matter how hard I tried, it seemed like my lungs weren't getting enough oxygen.

He sighed.

"Look, I know you really like this dude, but we don't shout at each other Lore. We don't argue like this. Your mother's right. You can't let one guy shatter your life."

I started to shake my head.

"Lore," he said clearly trying to sound reasonable, but his voice was echoing. Far away. "I know you want-"

"Jake something's wrong." I said reaching to lean against the side of the house.

The fire had started to die down a bit, the acrid smell of charred plastics and fabrics settling over the patio.

My fingers were stinging, tingling with pins and needles, and my lips had gone numb. Almost instantly, my vision started to tunnel.

"Jake... Jake something-" but the sentence died, there was no oxygen left in me and I slid down the wall to the stone of the patio, still unable to breathe.

"Lore? Lore!" Jake darted forward his eyes wide.

I was hyperventaliting at this point.

"Jake what's happening?" I asked between desperate attempts for air, I was stuttering and stumbling over words in a way I never had before. "I-I don't…"

"Lorelei you need to calm down." He said in alarm as his eyes met mine. "I think you're having a panic attack."