I don't own PJO
Chapter 13
Austin's POV
I woke up the next morning earlier than usual because I had to run the shop and take care of Zoey. I opened her door quietly, she was still sleeping peacefully. I went over to her bedside and took the almost empty bowl of soup back to the kitchen and began breakfast for the both of us. I figured since Zach was a big boy he could get his own.
Just as I was finishing Zoey's breakfast I heard Zach get up and stumble into the kitchen. I nodded in his general direction as I got Zoey some juice. After I had taken it to her, and woken her up so she could take her meds I went back to the kitchen to make my breakfast. I sat down with my cereal a moment later.
"When can I see her?" Zach asked suddenly.
"That's not up to me." I grunted keeping my head down to stare at my cheerio's.
"Actually it kind of is. Does she even know I'm here?" he asked.
"Yes. Last night she said she didn't want to see you." I didn't bother to look him in the eyes. Zach became silent. "Why?" I suddenly asked looking up. Zach looked at me startled by my outburst.
"Because," he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, "my mother finally claimed me. As soon as the owl had faded above my head I started to get out of bed to see if Zoey had been claimed also. A voice in my head told me to wait. It said my sister had just died in her sleep. I froze for a moment then bolted for her room. When I got there she was lying on her side and I couldn't tell if she was even breathing. I checked her pulse and found none. So I left, because I couldn't bear to stay in the same room with my dead sister. The voice in my head told me where to go. It led me to my mother."
That was not what I expected to hear. He made it sound almost plausible, but there was one flaw, "How could you have found no pulse when she was still alive?"
"I've been thinking about that, and have finally come to a conclusion. There are some plants that have been turned into drugs or medicines that when you take them they lower your heart rate immensely to where people can assume your dead when you actually not. I'm betting who ever it was that was speaking to me did that."
"Like I said I'll talk to her." That was all I could promise at that moment. As soon as I was finished with my breakfast I went to check on her, and get her breakfast dishes. "Hey," I said sitting on her bed.
"Is he gone?" she asked almost pleadingly.
"No, he wants to see you." Zoey glared at the door, but didn't say anything." Just give him a chance."
"I gave him four years worth of chances, and he said I was dead to him." I could hear the pain in her voice as she said that.
"Let him explain." I pleaded with her on his behalf.
"Why should I?" she shouted tears in her eyes. "He chose stupid Athena over me! His own sister!" Zoey clenched her eyes shut trying to block the tears.
"It was all Athena's fault. She told him you were dead." I said quietly trying to calm her back down.
"You believe him?" she asked angrily.
"Yes, I do. How he explained it seems so real. Plus it fits in with her plan. Both the goddesses that are angry with us are working together I'm sure of it."
"I don't know." she said tiredly.
"Yes you do. You just have to find where you're keeping it hidden. Call me if you need anything." I got up off her bed and headed for her door.
"Austin," she said, I halted, "I'll talk to him." I smiled at her and closed the door behind me. I knew the overwhelming desire to see her brother again would win over.
I reentered the kitchen and put Zoey's dishes in the sink, "She said you can talk to her." I told Zach who was still sitting at the table looking hopeless. He looked up and a spark seemed to return to his eyes.
"Thank you." he said before going down the hall towards Zoey's room. I gave him a small smile and went down to the shop to open it up for the day.
Zach's POV
I knocked on Zoey's door softly, "Come in." a quiet voice said. I opened the door to find my little sister lying in her bed looking very weak. She was shivering even though it was the middle of summer, and she had at least three blankets on top of her. She looked like she hadn't eaten in weeks, though I knew she had finished most of her breakfast that morning.
"Hey squirt. How you feeling?" I asked tenderly.
She coughed, "Not good, but better than yesterday." She said softly, "You have some major explaining to do." Her voice was cold as she glared at me across the room.
"I know." I sat down on the edge of her bed and told her what I had told Austin earlier that morning. Then I went on to tell her the dream I kept having almost continuously.
"I always warned you she was evil." She joked tiredly.
"Yeah, maybe I should have listened."
"Maybe." She grinned up at me, then her face fell, "What are we going to do about her?"
"I don't know. We'll think of something." I stood up and kissed her on the forehead. "I missed you Zoey. Now get some rest."
She yawned, "I missed you too Zach. Love you!" she said when I was halfway out the door.
"Love you too squirt." I turned off the light and closed her door behind me. Then I went down to the shop to see if Austin needed any help.
"I didn't hear any screaming so I guess it went well." He joked as I came down the stairs.
"Yeah it did. We really have to do something about Athena though."
"Aphrodite too, that chick is crazy!" we laughed, but became silent when the sky flashed with lightning.
"She's grown up so fast. It's like she's not even a teenager anymore." I leaned against the counter and stared out among the books.
"That's the way it is with Half-Bloods." Austin said shrugging.
"It shouldn't be though." I said sadly.
"But there's nothing we can do about it." He whispered his tone matching mine. I nodded, and began to put the books back in their rightful places.
I'm going to upload two more chapters tonight. And either tomorrow or Thursday is when this story will be finished.
~chocoyum4~
