Chapter 16

MEG POV

(A/N Well this sucks. I didn't upload a chapter on Wednesday, then when I tried to post it on Thursday, I didn't realise that it was the same chapter. Then I forgot to post the double upload yesterday, so now you gt it today. I honestly feel terrible about this, sorry. The characters you recognise are not mine, the characters you don't are.)

Robin was still standing in the road, looking at his hands. Chris and Clarisse came over to them. "Guys, we should probably get going. And also Robin, you're coming with us. You're definitely a powerful demigod, but untrained, so you'd be dead meat for monsters." Robin looked offended by this statement, but put it behind him.

"Well, at least I get to come on an adventure with you. Let's get inside."

As they opened the door, Meg was met with a Magnum to the face. "Who are you? What are you doing?" Robin immediately pushed the gun barrel down.

"Whoa, mum, it's me, these are my friends. Don't shoot." The older woman, who looked to be in her mid-forties, looked suspiciously at them.

"Two of them are college students. Don't you two have a lecture to listen to?" Clarisse sighed.

"Look, ma'am, we're here to talk about Robin's father. Mrs Clifton's eyes widened and the gun went to Clarisse's face.

"You've got no right coming in here and talking like that. Who do you think you are, some mad cultists trying to 'save' the world? And you, young lady, get your grubby hands off my son." Meg didn't realise she still had Robin's arm around her side, which with the adrenaline of the fight worn off, felt sore and tired. She gently removed herself, causing pain to shoot up her arm again. "Get out. Get out of my house. I can call for your arrest, you know." She lifted a badge off the key hanger inside the door. It was your typical shield badge with the words 'Trenton Police' stitched on above and below what Meg assumed was the coat of arms. Clarisse's hands went up.

"Alright, no need for that. We'll be on our way. But so you know," She spoke quietly here so only Meg, Robin, his mum and Chris could hear. "I'm a daughter of Ares." Mrs Clifton's face paled. Clarisse nodded to Chris and Meg.

"Son of Hebe."

"Daughter of Demeter." The older woman staggered backwards.

"No… he said just don't tell him and they won't find him… he wouldn't have to take him to the camp…" Clarisse exhaled.

"Do you know what we're talking about, Mrs Clifton?" The woman paled even more, gave a curt nod, then ushered them into the house.

It looked like a decent house at first glance. The walls were a pale blue, with an indented flower pattern. There was a wooden staircase running up the left hand side of the wall when you came in the door, and underneath that was a stair cupboard. Going straight on there was a kitchen that Meg could detect an aroma wafting out of, maybe bacon or steak, but Mrs Clifton lead them around a corner to the right into the sitting room. It had a greenish-blue carpet, with a giant blue armchair at one end, next to the fireplace. A window onto the front lawn was on the right side of the long room, while the other end housed a dining table and chairs, with a window onto a back patio. The walls were in the same style as the entrance hallway, blue-on-blue flowers, and there were a few dressers placed at the walls. There were photos on the walls, mainly of what Meg deduced to be a young Robin. In a few, a younger Mrs Clifton appeared next to the child, and in one or two, a man in a crimson suit. Meg nudged Robin. "That your dad?" He nodded.

"Apparently, though I'm not quite sure-for obvious reasons. Mum told me he died in a shootout with a gang."

"I had to do that, son. Would've been less dangerous. Your father… he was a god." He nodded.

"Which one?" Mrs Clifton looked slightly put off by the fact that her son was calmly asking which divine force of nature fathered him. "Son, he was a god. An immortal, divine force." Robin nodded again.

"These guys told me that. Which one was he? Cause of him, I can do this." Robin held his palm out, and a miniature pillar of fire appeared, swirling across the skin but leaving no mark. He extinguished the flame and looked at his mother. She took a deep breath.

"Your father… was Adranus, Lord of Volcanoes, master of the flames." Meg didn't know who Adranus was, but one thing registered. Master of the flames. It was a sick joke the Fates were playing on her right now. Her childhood home had been razed to the ground by fire, and now this boy, who she was supposed to go on a cross-country trip with, was the son of the embodiment of raging infernos? She looked at Robin, who didn't seem fazed by this fact. Rather large giveaway, being able to shoot columns of fire from one's hands. Chris and Clarisse looked slightly confused.

"I thought he faded, ages ago." It was Chris speaking, leaning forward on his knees from his position on the couch. "There are barely even any legends about him, apart from the fact that Hephaestus had to drive him from his forges to keep volcanoes from exploding."

Clarisse nodded in agreement.

"There's a cabin to him at camp, but we all figured it would be honorary." Robin's mum turned to her.

"Well he evidently didn't fade, did he, girl? I was on break at the police station when he walked in the door. He was tall, with light brown hair and a smirk on his face. He asked me out, and I told him to get out before I stuck a gun barrel down his throat. He just chuckled and told me he'd see me later. I was walking down the street and he came up to me again. This time, I said yes. One thing lead to another, and then you entered the world." She pointed at Robin. Her voice softened. "I had to tell you he died, you would have attracted too many monsters otherwise. I didn't want to send you to camp, and that was selfish of me." The older woman gestured to the door. "You know what you are now, and that'll attract them even more. Go with these people, they'll protect you." She looked sad for a second, but put her composure back up quickly. I've got a gift for you. Robin's mum went out of the room, leaving the demigods to their own devices. Robin sat down next to Meg on the couch.

"You alright?" The concern in his voice made Meg feel even more conflicted, besides finding out his dad was a god of fire.

"Yeah, I'm fine-" Meg let out a squeak as Robin tried to put his arm around her, unknowingly touching the tender skin and probably broken bones underneath.

"Gods, (A/N See, he's getting the hang of it.) I'm sorry, I should have noticed. I'll go get some of that healing food." Meg tried to protest.

"No, it's fine, just a scrape, I'll be… fine…" Meg felt herself losing conciousness as she spoke, and passing into a dark, dreamless sleep.

(A/N I'm totally gonna do Meg x OC now, so be warned. For those questioning how she managed to walk down a road with busted ribs, Percy has completed harder feats with worse injuries. Adrenaline is a demigod's most powerful weapon, my friends. I was debating between this and Chrisse for the next chapter, but I decided to do this. There will be Chrisse in the future.

Vaya con Queso,

DamaSENDhimafriend