Awesome as Annabeth- there is nothing better than being shot at to strengthen that sibling bond.

Once on the bridge, Alvie had easily disposed of their follower, pushing the car aside with will power alone. It barrelled into the bridge's support column. The bonnet crumpled like paper while the bumper was dented beyond repair. Steam billowed from the hood and the driver peeled himself from the car, collapsing against the guard rail and bringing up his lunch.

Alvie had the taxi driver turn and take them home. They weren't followed.

"We should do that more often." Sage grinned excitedly. Alvie looked at her quizzically. "Wait until later and you realise how cool that was."

"OK." He mumbled, unsure how to react to his clearly eccentric sister.

"And I can't believe that you stole a car! You, of all people, Alvie, you stole a car!"

"It was business."

"Where's the car now?" He shrugged. "You don't know?"

"Leo got rid of it. You know Leo."

"It's probably a Transformer or something now." Sage sighed contentedly, smiling. "So, what's next? Do we stop a train robbery or a plane crash?"

"We get you home and sort out this amnesia mess."

"And then can we do this again? We could bring Tyler too, he'd love it! But that would mean telling him about the gods…"

"He knows."

"He does?! Who told him?!"

"Charlie did."

"But-"

"Tyler was stuck in limbo and Charlie met him halfway, keeping him company until Tyler woke up."

"How do you know?"

"How else would he remember Charlie and not you? You were the connection between him and Charlie, but if he's forgotten you, there was another reason as to why he remembered Charlie."

"Oh…" She could see Charlie now, all bright eyes and cheeky smiles. "Did Charlie tell him anything else?" Alvie blinked at her and suddenly there was a light in his eyes, something thoughtful and strong. "What is it?"

"He remembers Charlie." Alvie said, more to himself than her. "But he doesn't remember everything Charlie told him, so he'd think it was a dream. If I can get those memories…"

"I thought you said you can't restore memories?"

"I can't. The older the memory, the harder it is to restore." He paused. "Think of it as a jar of coins. Each coin you put in is a new memory. Older memories get buried under the new memories and you have to work them out slowly, going through all the others' links to get to that one. This one with Charlie… Tyler woke up two weeks ago, so it's nowhere near as buried as four years' worth of memories."

"Will you have to use my memories then?"

"Maybe… I don't know. I could put a memory of Charlie that involves Tyler as well into Tyler's mind and see what it triggers. Can you remember anything like that?"

"Charlie tried to stick a 'kick-me' sign on back and Tyler told me he was there. That's a more recent one."

"But it's a weak memory… I need something stronger." He looked at her carefully.

"Like what then?" She watched him as he scrambled for an example.

"A special occasion, maybe- a day out with Charlie and Tyler or…" He rolled his hand and let her think, sitting quietly and patiently.

"We had a movie day once and both of them were there."

"Is it a strong memory?"

"I think so."

"I want you to think about it; recall everything you can and don't get distracted."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see if it is a strong enough memory. If not, I'm going to have to read your mind." He looked at her again, seeking permission.

"OK, but it's my private stuff so no blabbing to Crystal." He smiled, amused slightly. "I mean it, Alvie. If she starts spouting my… my inner most thoughts or whatever, I'll kill you."

"I won't tell her, don't worry."

Alvie pushed into his sister's mind. Over the years, he had worked himself out of enforcing temporary paralysis and cutting off breathing, but it had been hard work. Hard work Tobias was eternally grateful to.

He focused on the memory she had suggested and, after a minute of sifting, he found it. If she hadn't been focusing on it, he would have been there for a while.

Sage didn't like this mind-reading thing. She tried not to fight Alvie- she doubted she could anyway- but it felt like her mind was a ball of wool. It was been hurriedly unravelled; pulled taut and displaying all her thoughts on this one line.

As clear as day, she saw the movie night memory playing out. Laughter played in her ears and her arms shot up, her hands strangling Charlie, although those were not her orders.

The memory plays as it was, Alvie's voice told her, You saw and acted it this way and you'll see and act it this way again.

Ok.

It did feel good to play-fight with Charlie again, even if it was just a memory. Everything that cropped up about her beloved cousin was a razor-sharp, white-hot jab at her grief. She would never stop missing Charlie.

Tears burned her eyes, but her memory self was battering Charlie until he pleaded mercy.

This is strong enough, Alvie decided and she was suddenly thrown back. They were in the taxi again, not far from home.

"Are you OK?" He asked. Sage wiped at her eyes, nodding. She realised he held a small, blue orb in his hand, rolling about across his palm. It was no bigger than a golf ball. "It's your memory." He replied at her questioning look. "Well, a copy of your memory, but same difference." He shrugged.

The taxi rolled to a stop outside the Jackson residence. Percy was sat on the steps, seemingly bored. He looked up curiously at the taxi and then smiled when he saw them.

He was on his feet in a second, hugging the pair of them as they got out.

"You took your time." He smiled again, ushering them inside. Alvie let the taxi driver go, massaging his forehead with his fingertips. "Were you… were controlling him?" Alvie nodded slowly. "That's pretty cool."

"It's pretty painful."

"Do you want nectar or something?"

"No, it'll go; thanks anyway."

"What took you so long anyway?"

"We were in a car chase!" Sage exclaimed, her earlier excitement returning in a fiery blast. At her father's questioning look, she launched into a detailed explanation of today's events, dutifully skipping the part about Alvie stealing a car.

Percy hadn't noticed the glowing orb in Alvie's hand until Sage pointed it out.

"It's one of your memories?" He frowned in confusion. Alvie started explaining, but Percy wasn't following entirely. Thankfully, Annabeth chose that moment to pop up and translate into Seaweed Brain terms.

"And then I'm going to try and put this in Tyler's mind and go from there."

"When are you going to do that?" Annabeth asked.

"Tonight… It'll be easier when he's sleeping. His subconscious will accept it more if it thinks it's a dream."

"Will Tyler wake up to see it as a memory?"

"Um… most likely, but I'll have to tie it in somehow." He juggled the orb in his hand. "Does he still live in that apartment?" Sage nodded.

"Sage, tell your mom about the car chase." Percy waved at her, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"What car chase?" Annabeth demanded instantly. She looked from her daughter to her son and to Sage again, her eyes scrutinizing them.

Alvie sighed and explained this time; Sage chipped in occasionally, desperately trying to stay as calm as possible as her mother didn't seem all that happy to hear them travelling at sixty miles an hour with a possessed taxi driver.

He was nearing the description of the events on the bridge when he stopped mid-word, raising his hand with a flourish. A sheet of his trademark white energy covered the window to the side of the door. The glass behind it shattered and there was suddenly a black ball in Alvie's enchantments.

It was a bullet.

And it was aimed for Alvie's head.

Sighing, Alvie looked apologetically at his parents. "I should go."

"Let us help, Alvie." Annabeth insisted.

"I can't risk that."

"Use the back door." The white energy cleared, absorbing all the broken glass and piecing the fragments together. "And be careful!" Annabeth called after him. Alvie glanced back briefly, ready to something, but a furious series of knocks on the door urged him to vanish.

Annabeth waved Sage away, gathering the triplets and leading them upstairs. Percy was left layering ice and sea green energy over the doors and windows, darting about downstairs and working his way through all the rooms.

"Alvie will be OK, right Mom?" Lilly looked at Annabeth pleadingly.

"He'll be fine." Sage saw their mother glance at the ceiling as her brothers tucked Lilly away in the safety of their parents' bedroom. Annabeth's lips moved soundlessly as she closed the door to the bedroom.

Theo was applying thick blankets of ice over the windows while Callum did the same to the door. Sage and Lilly started dragging and pushing the wardrobe over to stand in front of one of the windows, the one with the lattice next to it on the outside wall. If somebody climbed up that and broke in, they'd be in trouble.

All these precautions would not have been set had it not been for Alvie's instructions from last month. She hadn't understood why they should go on total lockdown if something threatening happened towards Alvie in their presence, but she did now.

People were after him. Maybe they wanted him to use his gifts for their advantage, but were now trying to kill or control him following his resistance.

And they were targets by association.

Tyler was on his way over to surprise Sage with a visit. He carried a bouquet of red and white roses and hummed to himself, doing his best to stay calm and positive, but his heart thudded dangerously fast and nervous perspiration beaded on his forehead.

He heard the gunshot then and the faint tinkling of falling, broken glass. He broke into a sprint, but collided with something he couldn't see just as he rounded the corner.

Alvie appeared out of nowhere, staring down at him incredulously.

"Tyler…" He ran a hand through his hair, throwing a suspicious and searching look over his shoulder. He grabbed Tyler by the arms and hauled him to his feet, pushing him back the way he came.

"You… were invisible… how… what?"

"I'll explain later, but we've got to get out of here."

"What was the gunshot? Who was that shot at? What's going on?"

"I'll explain later." Alvie repeated. His tone was firmer, his words clipped. He glanced at the flowers in Tyler's hands and they disappeared.

"Hey!"

"Don't worry; Sage will get them." Heat rose in Tyler's cheeks.

"How'd you-?"

"I'm psychic. Now move-I don't have time for this." Tyler thought it was best to obey a guy who could make things disappear with ease. Although… disappearing to Sage wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey, you have a shiny marble. What's that about?" Alvie slipped the memory in his pocket, sighing. Sage sure knew how to pick annoying friends.

Another gunshot ripped over their heads. Tyler ducked instinctively. Alvie grabbed his elbow and Tyler was suddenly overcome with light so intense, he was pretty sure his eyes had burned away completely.

When sight returned to him, he found everything was spinning and Alvie was kneeling on the floor, his palms flat to the ground. He was breathing heavily, like he had just stopped from running the marathon at full sprint.

Tyler rested a hand on Alvie's shoulder. "Are you OK?"

"I'll… be fine…" Alvie managed between breaths, struggling to his feet. He stumbled in a second, crashing into a tree.

"What was that?"

"Later…" Alvie waved it away and forced himself to stagger onwards.

"Where are we going? Do you have a secret hideout? Are we running from the bad guys?"

"Tyler…" Alvie looked at him, still dizzy and breathing uneasily, but the look in his eyes was firm and superior. "I can't tell you anything… right this second. I swear, I'll explain everything later, but… you've got to cooperate and… do as I say, OK?"

"OK." Tyler agreed. "I'll be quiet." Alvie gave a nod and turned again. Tyler hurried after him like an obedient puppy. He looked around at his new surroundings, trying to figure out where they were.

They were somewhere in a forest, but that didn't tell Tyler a lot. They could be miles from the city or in another country for all he knew. Alvie could be an alien and he was abducting Tyler, betraying his trust!

Tyler couldn't help himself. "Are you an alien?"

"No."

"How can I be sure?"

"Do you see a spaceship anywhere?"

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything. You could be getting picked up any second." Alvie shook his head, but Tyler was sure there was an amused glint in his eyes. "OK, fine then- how much farther? Mom'll kill me if I'm not home by dinner."

Sage was keeping Callum quiet when a bunch of red roses appeared in her hands.

"Ooh, magic tricks! Make a rabbit appear from the hat!"

"What hat?" Theo quizzed. Callum glanced around, realising they lacked a hat. Theo looked triumphant. Callum made a face at him and then inspected the roses.

"There's no ca- oh, wait, yes there is." He carefully pulled a small white card from amongst the flowers. "To Sage…" He read slowly, squinting through his dyslexia. "From… who's Taylor?"

"That says Tyler!" Lilly corrected, reading over her brother's shoulder.

"Oh! He has terrible hand-writing." Lilly rolled her eyes, not even bothering to respond.

"How'd they get here though?"

"Magic…" Callum spread his hands mysteriously, his eyes gleaming with mischief.

They heard their father's maniacal laughter from downstairs, muffled slightly by the ice barricading the door. There was stifled clang of metal, followed by a pained grunt and then Percy laughing again. Annabeth shouted something that sounded suspiciously like 'Seaweed Brain', but then she laughed too.

Seconds later, the ice on the door melted into water and evaporated. Percy bounced in, grinning broadly.

"Are we all OK?"

"We heard you laughing." Callum grinned. "I love your laugh!"

"I do too!" Percy beamed in agreement. "Ooh, flowers… where did they come from?"

"Um… from thin air, apparently…"

"And they're from Tyler!" Lilly shot her sister a teasing smile. Sage glared at her.

"But… Tyler hasn't been here…" Percy frowned.

"Unless… he ran into Alvie and Alvie sent them here for him." Annabeth suggested.

"That would make sense." Percy drew his phone from his pocket and pressed five on speed dial. All his children were on speed dial, three to zero and in age order. The first two were his mom and Annabeth. "Hey, everything OK? We've a magic bunch of roses here."

"Oh, so she did get them?"

"Is Tyler there with you?"

"Yeah…"

"Is something wrong?"

"He's really annoying."

"Did you take him to your base?"

"I had to get back here! And he was just… there."

"What about the memory stuff?"

"He's asleep now and I've already given him that memory I got earlier. But he knows about the gods and all that."

"I hate explaining that stuff. It takes so much convincing."

"Dad, I'll have to call you back later."

"Are you being traced?"

"Yeah, I am."

"I'll IM you." Percy hung up, inhaling and letting it out in a relieved huff. "Wow, we're so messed up."

I hope this is OK. I know it kind of detours, but hey! I was just going with the flow of it!