A/N: Well, it's February 19, 2013 and you know what that means. That's right it's time for my annual update to this story. What is wrong with me that I never seem to get anything done with this except for this one day every year?

Chapter Two
Track

Hermes' next stop was a house sitting on the edge of a forest. It looked like a cozy place and the perfect environment for Atlanta to work on her hunting and tracking skills.

Hermes didn't feel any better about this stop than he had about the last one and he knew he would probably feel worse with every subsequent visit. He would never be comfortable with having to pull seven teenagers out of their ordinary lives, so they could spend their days engaged in a life or death struggle with an egomaniacal god.

It wasn't fair, but ironically, it was the only way to guarantee their safety. On their own, they would be easy prey for Cronus, his giants and anything else he chose to send against them. Only by banding together with the guidance and protection of the gods would they stand a chance. Hermes wished things could be different, all the gods and goddesses of Olympus did, but this was the only chance these seven teenagers, not to mention their families, had of surviving.

Hermes headed around the side of the house, making his way to the front door. Suddenly, two boys burst out of the forest, heading for the house. They were both dishevelled and yelling for their parents. Hermes couldn't make out most of what they were saying, but he did catch the word giant.

Hermes cursed silently. These boys didn't know it, but they'd just made his job that much harder. Now, in addition to providing Atlanta's parents with an explanation for her absence he would have to come up with something to explain the giant.

He paused for a moment to think. There had to be some plausible explanation for a giant roaming the woods that wouldn't arouse any suspicion. He pondered his unexpected dilemma for several minutes, before finally coming up with a solution he thought would work. It wasn't ideal, but it was the best he could do on such short notice. Confident in the believability of his story, Hermes headed once more for the front door.

He knocked and a harried looking middle-aged woman quickly opened the door. She had the look of someone who'd just spent several minutes trying unsuccessfully to calm two terrified boys and wasn't pleased to have something else to deal with.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"My name is Mr. Comm," Hermes answered, giving her his most charming smile. "I'm here to talk to you about your daughter, Atlanta. May I come in for a moment?"

"Of course," Atlanta's mother replied.

She ushered Hermes into the living room where a middle-aged man and the two boys Hermes had seen entering the house earlier were sitting.

"Come on now," the man was saying to them. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that you saw a giant in the woods?"

"We did!" one of the boys exclaimed.

"Yeah," the other one chimed in. "It was huge and red with a beard and wearing a skirt and…"

"Kilt," Hermes corrected.

"What?" the boy asked turning to stare at him.

"My friend was wearing a kilt, not a skirt," Hermes elaborated.

"That monster is a friend of yours?" the first boy demanded incredulously.

"Yes," Hermes responded, "and he's not a monster."

"He looked like a monster," the second boy chimed in.

"Yeah," the first boy agreed, "and he had red skin. Nobody has red skin."

"They do when they spend too much time outside without wearing sun screen," Hermes informed him. "I've told him several times that he should, but he never listens."

"Oh please," the boy scoffed. "You don't really expect us to believe that that red giant was just some big, sunburned guy."

Hermes didn't answer. It didn't really matter if the boys believed his story as long as their parents did. He held his breath and prayed to Zeus that he'd managed to convince them.

"I think," Atlanta's mother began, "that the two of you have very vivid imaginations and that you've let them run away with you."

"But mom," the boys protested.

"I don't want to hear another word about this," their mother stated emphatically. "Now go upstairs while your father and I speak to Mr. Comm."

"Yes, mom," the boys chorused in obvious disappointment.

Once they were gone, Atlanta's parents turned their attention to Hermes.

"I'm sorry if my associate frightened your boys," Hermes apologized, silently thanking Zeus that they'd bought his story. "I've warned him several times to tone down his eccentricities, but he so enjoys startling people with his bizarre appearance that my pleas often fall on deaf ears."

"Don't worry about it," their father assured him. "They've always had overactive imaginations. Maybe now they'll learn not to jump to such ridiculous conclusions."

"You said you were here to talk about Atlanta," Atlanta's mother reminded him.

"That's right," Hermes confirmed. "I represent the Olympus Academy, a very prestigious private school. We have both an excellent academic program and an amazing athletic department. We are particularly proud of our track team and we're hoping that Atlanta might become a part of it. We've heard she's a superb athlete and we're certain she'd be a valuable addition to the team."

"How much is all of this going to cost us?" Atlanta's stepfather asked.

"Not a thing," Hermes assured him. "Atlanta will receive a full scholarship."

"What about living arrangements?" Atlanta's mother asked. "Is the school nearby?"

"Unfortunately, no," Hermes answered. "However, we do have a dormitory for our out of town students. I'm sure she'll be quite happy there."

"We'll need some time to think it over," Atlanta's mother replied, "and to discuss it with Atlanta, of course."

"I understand," Hermes acknowledged, "but I'm on a tight deadline, so I'm going to need an answer before I leave. I have taken the liberty of discussing this with your daughter and she seems very enthusiastic."

"Well, if it's what she wants then I suppose it's all right," Atlanta's mother conceded. "It does sound like an incredible opportunity."

"I agree," Atlanta's stepfather added. "When does she leave?"

"Well…" Hermes began hesitantly, "the thing is, she was so excited and so sure that you'd say yes, that she's already gone with my associate."

"The, ahem, giant?" Atlanta's stepfather asked with a slight smile.

"Yes," Hermes replied with a smile of his own, "the giant."

"I wish we'd had a chance to say good-bye," Atlanta's mother said.

"I'm sorry about that," Hermes told her. "I'll have her call you as soon as she gets settled."

"Thank you," Atlanta's mother replied. "I'd appreciate that."

"Now if you'll excuse me," Hermes added. "I have other appointments."

"Of course," Atlanta's mother answered.

She showed Hermes to the door, but as he was about to leave she asked one more pressing question.

"Will Atlanta be able to visit?"

"We'll try to arrange something during school vacations," Hermes responded.

Atlanta's mother nodded and Hermes headed off.

A/N: Well, that's it for now. I'd promise to update again before next year, but I think we've all seen just what my promises on that score are worth.