Hey guys and girls,

What up?

Sorry about they long wait, but on the upside... this is the second story I've updated in one day! go me!

Anyway, down to business. This is a rather emotional chaapter. The gods, particularly Poseidon, are OOC but think about it, they are not the riveling gods of Olympus, they are a family, so emotion is needed in family crisis.

Enjoy...

Family

Percy POV

"WHAT?!!?" Hades bellowed after a long moment of the entire room staring at me in shock.

"Could you leave us please," my Aunt Demeter ordered the board members who were not part of the family. They quickly hurried out of the room. When the door had closed Hades lunged at me and grabbed me by the shirt.

"Are you telling me that you let that crazy old man near my son?!!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!!!?" his knuckles were pushing into my throat so hard that I was struggling to breathe.

"Hades!" my father yelled, "let go of him!"

"Did you not just hear what your brat said Poseidon?" my uncle growled.

"I heard and I think that if you stopped strangling him that he might be able to explain!" Hades waited for a few very long moments before releasing me and letting me drop to the ground.

I sat there coughing and trying to get my breath back. Hestia came to kneel beside me and stroked my back comfortingly.

Once my breathing was almost back to normal, dad crouched in front of me."

"Percy, I need you to tell me everything that happened," he told me in a firm yet soft voice.

"We were at mythoworld," I started. "Me, Thalia, Nico, Bianca and some of our friends. When we got through the gate Nico got excited and ran off. I ran around looking for him but couldn't find him anywhere. I went to the office and had every guard out there looking for him. When they didn't find him I sent Thalia and Bianca to Uncle Hades to see if Nico went there. When there was still nothing about him from the guards I knew I had to get here. As I came out of the office a guard gave this to me," I pulled the crumpled letter from my pocket and gave it to my Dad.

There are a lot of things kids don't like to see. Parents arguing, parents' disappointment in them, role models being sent to prison. But the one thing that will always crush any hope in a kid is the look of terror that was in my father's eyes. He passed the note around the family and every one of them mirrored the feeling.

"Is he really as crazy as the others make out?" I mumbled to my dad, afraid of the answer. He just looked at me with a look that said, he's much worse.

After that Zeus took charge, as head of the family.

"Hades, go home. Bianca will be scared. Poseidon, go to Mythoworld. They could still be there. Someone may have seen something. Hestia talk with the head of PR we want this to stay out of the press until we need them to know. Demeter, call our privet police service," they all nodded, except Hades he just stomped out, glaring at me.

Before my dad left he pulled me to the side, "Percy, the police will need to talk to everyone who was with Nico. It's probably best that you're not around your uncle at the moment so I want you to go get your friends and go home okay?"

"Okay. They are going to find him... right?" I asked, close to tears now.

"I hope so," was all he said before giving my shoulder a comforting squeeze and walking out. I followed and we rode the elevator together before parting without a word.

I knew that every member of my family was blaming me. And they were right to. I was supposed to be looking after him. He was my responsibility and I let him get taken.

I shook those thoughts from my mind, knowing that it would not help at the moment.

The things that would help were these:

I knew how to drive.

My dad's garage was only a block away.

I knew the Stoll brothers were in detention.

I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my phone book while running in the direction of the garage. I hit call when I found the number I wanted.

"Connor Stoll here, what can I do for who?" Connor answered.

"Connor, it's Percy. I need a favour. A very big and very important favour and I need it done now," I told him suddenly grateful for being the top of the social food chain.

"What do you need?" he asked in his 'down to business' voice.

"I need you or Travis to get out of detention and into the office. When you're there I need you to find the address of the new girl, Annabeth Chase."

"On it."

By this time I was at the garage and typing codes that I wasn't supposed to know into security locks so that I could get to the keys. I needed a car that was fast, easy to drive and subtle. Un fortunately my family doesn't do subtle so I grabbed the key for the Porsche and jumped in, hoping that no nice policeman would take much notice and see a 12 year old driving.

"Thanks man. Call me back as soon as you've got it," I hung up the phone and pulled out of the garage.

Annabeth had said her Dad got a job at the museum, so I guessed that they lived on that side of the city. I got onto the main highway knowing that no matter where she lived I would have to go down there. Thankfully my phone rang once I was on there. I put it on the hands free stand a pressed the call button.

"Percy, it's Connor. Ms. Annabeth Claire Chase lives at 16 Ambrosia Lane. So do you have a thing for the new girl Percy? 'Cause I saw you sitting with her at lunch and half of the girls in school want to-"

I cut him off, "It's not really a good time for gossip Con. Thanks for the address. I owe you. See you man," I hung up before he could say anymore and prayed to Hermes that the roads would stay clear. Luckily Hermes was on my side and I was at Annabeth's in minutes.

I ran up the steps and bang very urgently on the door completely ignoring the grey, metal, owl door knock which was proudly hanging there.

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed as she opened the door. "have they found him? Is he alright? Are you trying to knock my door down? How did you get my address?" she asked all in one breath.

"Fewer questions please Annabeth, you and the boys need to come to mine, our privet police will want to talk to you, I'll explain later," I fired back in even less breath.

She nodded, "Bobby, Matt we have to go! Now!" she yelled up the stairs making sure the urgency was evident in her voice. In a matter of seconds the four of us were running down the steps. "Who's driving?!?" Annabeth yelled seeing the empty car.

"I am." I looked up to see her scared face, "Annabeth my dad taught me to drive as soon as my legs were long enough to touch the pedals. I drive better than most adult and we are really in a rush. Please," I pleaded, "get in the car."

She reluctantly sat in the passenger seat and I was thrilled to see the twins already strapped in the back. I started the engine and headed for home.

On the way back to the house I called Thalia to give her an update on what was happening. I could hear Bianca sobbing in the background and felt overwhelmingly guilty. When I heard the door open and Hades call out I told Thalia I had to go and hung up.

When we pulled into my drive I screeched to a stop causing a large set of gaps in the gravel driveway, but I didn't care. The police weren't here yet, so I showed the twins to the den and told them to play games, while Annabeth followed me to the kitchen. When we got there I leaned on the island with my head down, wishing I could turn back time and change things so I had brought Nico here straight from school.

"Percy?" Annabeth whispered as she came and put her hand on my shoulder, "What do you know?"

I sighed and hoisted myself up onto the island, Annabeth did the same. "My Granddad has him," I said simply.

"Your granddad? Surely it's not that bad then?" she replied optimistically.

I laughed dryly, "How much do you know about my family Annabeth?"

She looked confused by my asking but answered anyway, "I know that your dad and Uncle's went to school with the president and are still, to this day very close friends with him. I know that you are the second richest family in the country and are on the world's top ten rich list. Other than that... not much. Just what teen magazines say and I know that isn't very reliable. Why?"

"The mythology obsession goes back generations Annabeth. My Granddad's name is Kronos. He foundered Olympia Industries 45 years ago. My dad, uncles and aunts all went to work for the company as soon as they finished college. Not long after the company started to drop profits, right after Kronos had signed a contract on a very risky investment. He had a mental break down and was forced to sign the company over to Dad, Zeus and Hades.

"He never recovered from his breakdown. It sent him insane and led him into believing that our obsession is reality. Do you know the myth of the Titan-God War?"

"The gods defeated Kronos, cut him into tiny pieces and threw him into Tartarus," Annabeth answered, realisation in her voice. "Oh my gods! He thinks that's what they did doesn't he?"

"So I'm told. I've only met him once. I was 6 and my dad pushed me behind him. I can remember his voice shaking as he shielded me and Triton with his body. I looked in to Kronos' eyes and even at such a young age I could tell that he was mad and my father was terrified of what he could do to me and my brother. Once he got us away from granddad and pulled us both to him in a hug so tight...

"Anyway I've not met him since but I have seen him sometimes he follows me. It never used to be often, once every couple of years, but over this past year I have seen him quite a few times. I never thought much of it. I mean I'd told dad back the very first time he followed but we don't know where he lives, so he told what to do if I was approached and we forgot about it. I'm so stupid! If I had thought about it, took note of him being there more often. If I had told somebody... maybe this wouldn't have happened!"

Annabeth rubbed my back in a comforting gesture, "You couldn't have known Percy."

"I should have known!" I snapped back without meaning to. "Why Nico? He's never even met Nico before! It was me he was following, only me. I asked the others the first time I saw him this year, most of them have met have met him once and I asked if they ever see him around but they don't. If he goes through the trouble to follow me around why did he take Nico? Why didn't he take me?!?"

"I don't know Percy but this isn't your fault okay?" I could feel Annabeth's eyes on me. I didn't answer her, I knew she was trying to comfort me, after only knowing me a day, and it was good of her. I realised that I had just told some of the most privet things in my life to almost a stranger but I felt comfortable talking to Annabeth. "Percy, how do you know your granddad has taken him?"

After you left Mythoworld I stayed for a few minutes, just to do a last minute check and then as I was leaving a security guard said someone had left a letter for me. It said that I should have looked after Nico better, something about my dad and uncles destroying him and him rising. It was signed 'The Lord of Time'."

Annabeth nodded in understanding.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang. The police came in and took statements from all of us. Just as they finished Dad came home.

"I ought to be mad at you about the car-" he started.

"Yell at me about the stupid car all you want dad, I don't care!" I yelled back at him.

Unusually, he stayed calm, "I ought to be but I'm not. How are you doing Percy?" he asked. Annabeth had gone into the den with her brothers, so it was just me and dad in the kitchen.

"What sought of stupid question is that?!!?"

"Faire point. Percy," his voice grew firmer and more serious. He put him hand on my shoulder in the way that makes me look him in the eye; it's one of his unexplainable powers which he usually uses when he thinks I am lying to him. "This isn't your fault," he told me.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?!!!?" I screamed at him, getting mad at my dad, to his face, for the first time in my life. "It is my fault! It's entirely my fault! I was supposed to be looking after him! I should have seen Grandad! I should have known he would be there!! I should have brought him back here straight away!!! IT IS MY FAULT!!!!!!" I bellowed now in tears. I pushed dad away from me and headed to the door but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Hey, hey, Percy calm down. What do you mean you 'should have known he'd be there'? How could you have known?" he was now crouched down to my eye level and talking in a voice so soft, I hadn't heard him speak like that since I was a little kid, since before the family met me. I wiped my eyes and told him what I'd told Annabeth, about granddad following me more often. "You should have told me Percy," dad told me in the same tone, pulling my into a rare hug.

"Exactly, I should have told you, then something could have been done and Nico might still be here," I mumbled into his shirt.

"Perceus look at me," I tilted my head upwards at the sound of my full name. "You should have told me because you were in danger." I looked up into his eyes, a mirror image of my own, in them I could see that he had momentarily forgotten about his nephew and was only thinking of the danger I had been in.

"Why dad? Why did he take Nico? He was following me. I knew him Nico didn't. He wasn't following any of the others. He was after me, so why didn't he take me? Why did he take Nico?"

I wanted so desperately for my dad to have all the answers, when you're little you think your parents know everything. And it was like we had hit rewind and gone back 6 years. I was a little kid and my dad was my hero, he knew everything and I wanted to be just like him.

But I wasn't six years old, the question wasn't about why the other kids picked on me and Thalia when dyslexia or ADHD acted up. Dad didn't have all the answers anymore.

"I don't know Percy," dad mumbled, tightening his arms around me. "I'm just glad you're safe."

So how was it?

Did I do good?

Did I do bad?

Did you like the father/son bit? I did but that doesn't mean you have to.

Did you like Annabeth's comfort?

Did you like the Kronos backstory?

What do you want to happen next? (I'm not sure I want to put this question here because if someone has the same idea as the one slowly forming in my appaulingly uncreative head then I will feel predictable)

Are you going to hate me when I take ages to update again?

Let me know. Reviews would be appriechiated thou I know you are probably all mad at me and don't want to review.

Happy Reading.

Love Thalia x