OK, lemme start off by saying, don't get mad. I friggin love everyone; gays, lesbians, bi's, trans, and straight people too. I think it's really cool that all these people can be themselves and that's one of my favorite things about America. You can be yourself here. Anyway, now that that's over, ON WITH THE STORY!

Peri's POV

Octavian ushered us all to sit by the fireplace, and he cut all the other lights off. Now, the only thing illuminating the ten of us was the fire's glowing orange warmth. We were all settled crisscross applesauce in a semicircle, Piper on my left and Leo on my right. Before anyone else could say anything, Octavian starts being all dramatic, much to everyone's annoyance.

"...and as such, I as augur, am very obligated to my opinion. In fact, everyone is entitled to their opinion! Of course, mine matters much more than any of yours." He glanced at Reyna nervously as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Uh. I mean your opinion is of the utmost importance as praetor and I hereby-"

"Just get on with it already!" Percy growled.

"Fine!" Octavian exclaimed. "I'll just come right out and say it-"

"You're gay?!" Leo suggested sarcastically. Percy and I snickered until Reyna shot us a look, silencing us.

"No!" Octavian shrieked, grasping the teddy bears strapped to his belt. He started muttering incredibly explicit curses under his breath in Latin. Grumbling, he started flipping through his gigantic phone book. Now getting nowhere, Reyna decided to cut right to the chase.

"I have reason to believe that Peri is a danger to herself and to those around her."

I hopped up onto my knees in rage. Glaring daggers at her, I struggled to keep my voice down. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Instead of answering my questions, she asks one of her own. Looking me dead in the eye, she asks, "Peri, who did you live with, your mother or your father?"

I looked away from her, suddenly finding more interest in the fire blazing in front of me.

Staring into the flames, I answered curtly. "Neither."

"What?" Piper asked, confused. I could feel everyone staring at me, practically boring a hole into my skull with their sight. But I kept focused on the fire.

Emotionless, I elaborated. "I've never seen or met either of my parents." I turned to face them before continuing. "When you guys told me that one of my parents was some god or goddess, I was so happy. So happy to finally get a chance to see them. So happy to know that they were actually there."

I sank back down from my knees onto my butt. "But nobody's contacted me like Percy said they should."

Maybe they don't want me... They wouldn't be the first.

"Peri," I heard Piper breathe my name. She reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it slightly. I gave her a reassuring smile and squeezed back.

Reyna looked to be contemplating everything I said. Memorizing every move I made. The gears in her mind were constantly in motion. Her eyes widened slightly, as if she were just realizing something.

"Peri, how did you find your way to Camp Jupiter?"

I took a deep breath. This was a pretty long story. But I told them everything. The whole story. I told them everything, starting from the time I devised my brilliant on-the-spot plan to run away from St. Mary's.

I even told them about the voice in my head. Thankfully, nobody locked me up in a crazy home as I told that part of the story. Each of them listened intently, often nodding their heads or encouraging me to say more.

"...and then I woke up the next day in the infirmary here, and then I guess you guys know the rest." I finished. I glanced at each of their faces, trying to read their expressions.

"Well, I guess that settles that then." Percy said, clapping his hands together loudly. "The voice you heard must've been your godly parent."

"Really?" I asked incredulously.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, they were communicating with you just then."

I looked up to the ceiling, smiling faintly.

So I guess you do care then, huh?

"Now the only question is..." Frank began.

"...who is my godly parent?" I finished for him. He nodded, his baby cheeks jiggling quite adorably.

I grinned and knocked on the cold tile floor. "Anytime now, Hades!" I joked.

Octavian suddenly looks up from his dusty old book and jerks his head at me. "Who?!" He exclaimed, a mixture of emotions riddled on his face.

"Hades." I repeated for him. Scoffing, I continued, "Jeez Octavian, keep up!"

He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. "Romans say Pluto...not Hades."

Everyone stared at me, but I just sat there confused. "What's the difference?"

Leo snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering something. "Oh yeah! Earlier, Peri called Hazel's dad 'Hades', even though Hazel introduced him as 'Pluto!'" Everyone nodded, recalling my words.

All I could do was sit there with my legs crossed as everyone fired off things that I said this morning. And everything revolved around me saying the same thing two different ways, when they sounded the same to me.

Bonnabelle ran her fingers through her curly blonde hair. "Guys, if she's using the other gods' names..." The rest of her sentence was lost to me as the gears in my head double timed it.

Did she just say "other gods"? Were there more than just the Roman gods?

"Wait!" I blurted suddenly.

Everyone's eyes fell on me, Bonnabelle looking especially ticked off. She must have been in the middle of her sentence when I cut her off.

"Are there more than just the Roman gods and goddesses?" I exclaimed, searching their faces for answers.

"Oh, yeah." Percy shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "You've got the Roman gods and their kids," he gestured towards Reyna, Frank, Hazel, Jason, and Octavian.

"And then there's us Greeks." He said grinning, along with Piper, Leo, and Bonnabelle.

"Greeks," I breathed. "Then...what am I?"

Greek gods and demigods? What does all this mean? How many gods are truly here with us?

And which one is my parent?

There was a long, awkward silence as everyone contemplated my words. The only sound that could be heard was the soft crackling of the fire in the pit.

With my ADHD, it didn't take long for me to grow restless with the lack of activity. I fiddled with the holes in my jean shorts, trying to pass the time anyway I could. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Leo on my right side. He seemed to be having trouble sitting still as well. I watched as he reached into his army jacket, digging deep in his pocket. He pulled out a couple of oddly shaped pieces of metal that looked like they had no correlation with one another at all.

What is he doing with that junk?

To my surprise, his fingers moved quickly over the pieces, turning them over and over, twisting them around. He began fitting the metal-something-or-others together. At first, I thought it was just some random pattern. But then I realized he was creating something. My eyes widened as the random pieces of junk metal began coming together, and I craned my neck to get a closer view of the spectacular formation. His hands moved skillfully and swiftly, and it took me a moment to realize that only a few seconds had passed since he started.

Before he could finish, Octavian broke the silence with his big mouth. At his words, Leo slipped the little half made contraption back into his army jacket pocket. He glanced in my direction, and I quickly averted my eyes, realizing that I was staring at his lap.

"Really it doesn't matter!" I heard Octavian say. He was peering over the enormous book, glaring pointedly at me. "It doesn't matter, because Reyna said Peri had to go, and Reyna is praetor, so what she says goes!"

I sighed. For some reason, I couldn't bring myself to get upset about this. I guess I was just used to it by now. People not wanting me around.

I may have not been getting upset, but my new friends sure were.

"Why are you even doing this?!" Leo snapped. "You haven't given one legit reason why Peri should have to go!"

Octavian smirked and flipped to a certain page in the book. He brought it and thrust it in the middle of the circle so we could all gather and see the page. Crowding around, we could all get a chance to see what the reason was for the Romans to evict me.

I'm not entirely sure what I had expected to see... Maybe an embarrassing photo of me? My last report card from St. Mary's displaying my awful grades? Or perhaps something so dark and revealing that even I wouldn't know what it was.

I didn't expect to see song lyrics.

"What the junk is this?" I questioned. "You're putting me out because of a song?"

Frank shook his head. "No, Peri. This isn't a song. It's a prophecy. This is the Prophecy of Seven."

"Oh," I murmured and took a closer look at the page.

THE PROPHECY OF SEVEN

Seven demigods shall answer the call

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

We all looked up at Octavian expectantly, as he was looking quite smug.

I put my hands on my hips. "What does this have to do with me?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Do I have to spell it out for you?" He reached up and traced his finger over the second line. "'To storm or fire!' Storm is your last name! You're evil! Clearly! We should be decapitating you right now!"

Okay, this, THIS, I could get upset over.

I growled and hopped to my feet. "What the zip is your problem?!"

Octavian shrieked at my hostility, "See! She's trying to attack us all now! Gut her! Gut her like a fish!"

I pointed my left hand in his face. "First off, shut the hell up! Secondly, I would never hurt any of you guys ever! Not even you, Octavian. You know why? Because as much as I hate your guts at the moment...I know deep down that we're friends. And friends don't hurt each other."

Octavian stood there, dumbfounded, my finger still inches from his face.

I heard a gasp and then Piper say, "Oh my gods!"

Looking over my shoulder, my eyes widened at the book.

Underneath the Prophecy of Seven, golden words were being written by an imaginary hand.

I watched, my mouth agape. The golden ink swirled and stroked, until finally coming to rest on the page.

With a shaky voice, Jason began to read the newly edited text.

THE PROPHECY OF THE OMEGA BLOOD

An eight demigod shall join the chase

To save the godly and human race.

The child of a god unknown,

Whose identity shall soon be shown.

Death, evil, and sadness shall flood

Without help from this Omega Blood.

"What's an Omega Bl-asdfghjkl!" My question turned into a jumble of intelligible garb in my mouth. I grasped my left hand tightly in pain. A scent of sizzling flesh filled the dining hall, and I doubted it was because of dinner. Scared for what I was about to see, but needing to know, I looked to the inside of my left forearm.

My eyes bugged out of my head.

There was a black tattoo on my left forearm where all the Romans received their tattoos.

Only it wasn't the Roman SPQR mark.

It was the last letter in the Greek alphabet.

The Omega.