"Hurry up we need to get to work!"

Silena shook Aricia awake in the guest room of the Beauregard's house. She was already dressed for work in the chocolate shop, hair done in a neat ponytail out of her face, makeup perfectly applied. She looked gorgeous waking up; even on the nights she didn't sleep well.

"Uhhh….did you do brunette?" Aricia grumbled and forced the blankets off of her. "Since last night?"

"Oh yeah, got bored with the blonde." Silena chuckled. "Do you like it?"

"It looks good. We look more alike now." Aricia noted and twirled her own chocolate locks around one of her pale fingers. "Don't we."

"We do, but I don't have these." Silena gently prodded her index finer between Aricia's fey purple eyes. Silena frowned. "Poor little baby cow."

"Actually, I kind of like them now." Aricia looked in the mirror and shook her head. "They make me look a little different, something pretty that the other Aphrodite girls don't naturally have. Not that these are natural."

"You paid a big price." Silena shuddered at the memory.

"Girls!" Mr. Beauregard called up the stairs. "Hurry or your breakfast will get cold."

"Coming!" The girls answered in unison.

Silena gave Aricia a gentle push towards the bathroom. "Go, get dressed and sprint downstairs."

Ten minutes later Aricia rushed down the stairs dressed in her work clothes; black jeans, a white shirt that read Beauregard's Chocolates and was in the midst of tying her pink apron around her waist. She reached for the coffee pot but Silena batted her hands away.

"No, you're going to stain your teeth."

Mr. Beauregard laughed and poured himself a cup. "You girls…" He shook his head. "Eat up and then get to work making that order for me. Okay?"

"No problem Dad." Silena washed her dish in the sink and looked outside. "Nice day." She muttered.

Silena's dad planted a kiss on her forehead and gave her a hug. "I'll be back soon, just need to go deliver an order."

"Okay." Silena gave her father a hug back and put her cleaned plate back in the cabinet. "Drive safe."

Mr. Beauregard turned to Aricia and fondly ruffled her hair. "Have a good day Ari."

"Thanks, you too." Aricia stood up and washed her plate before heading towards the part of the shop where the chocolate was actually made. "Your dad is great." She said out loud, a bit envious.

"I got lucky." Silena admitted. "A lot of demigods don't get along well with their mortal parents. They are scared of us, or blame us for what our godly parent did to them." Silena realized that Aricia knew this truth probably better than anyone. Those eyes proved it. "You're mom love you." She said softly. "And so does mine and my dad loves you too."

"So what are we making today?" Aricia changed the subject as she grabbed a few sheets of wax paper from a drawer and spread them across the table.

"Carmel turtles."

Aricia groaned. She loathed making these things. Silena was a perfectionist, and never let a single mistake slip. If one tiny bit wasn't perfect on the turtle, it was scraped and had to be completely redone. "Let's get started…"

"Oh cheer up; you get to eat the ones that aren't good enough."

"It's a wonder I'm not fat." Aricia joked and patted her stomach.

Actually, it wasn't much of a wonder. Aricia and Silena had a rigorous daily workout routine even when they weren't at camp. Aricia began working on the caramel when she heard her 'sister' curse under her breath.

"Drat!" Silena hissed.

Aricia turned in time to see Silena hastily shoving a silver charm bracelet in to her pocket. Silena saw her looking and her face paled. Aricia however grinned and pointed. "Oh my gods, is that from Beckendorf!"

"N-no." Silena stammered. "Ari, I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh come on Silena, I know you like him. He's really nice."

"It's not from him." Silena grew paler, like she was going to be sick. "I…I…"

"Silena? Whoa, sit down!" Aricia scrambled over and put her hand on Silena's shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

Silena burst in to tears. "Oh Aricia!" She sobbed and sank to the floor. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"What's wrong?" Aricia asked. "Oh no, you're not pregnant are you?"

"NO!" Silena wailed. She took the bracelet from her pocket and laid it in Aricia's hand.

Aricia saw the scythe, her eyes widened in shock and horror. She began to hyperventilate and stepped away from Silena. "You….you're…" She dropped the bracelet. "Telling them?"

"Ari, please!" Silena rushed over and trapped Aricia in a tight embrace. "Please please baby sister listen to me!" She begged. "I didn't want….I never….I thought I'd be saving more people, I didn't want to watch you die!" She pulled away and grabbed Aricia's face in her hands before the girl could escape. "Forgive me." She begged and began to sob. "Oh gods please forgive me Aricia! I don't want to do this! Luke…he…he said if I stop he'll tell everyone what I promised to do!"

"Silena….why?"

Silena told Aricia everything, from Luke's seduction, to the promises that were made, the regret, the fear, the hatred of the selfish gods. "After what Zeus did to you…I hated him for it." Silena admitted. "But you forgave him, and still loved Olympus enough to deny your birthright." The daughter of Aphrodite let go of the daughter of Hera and sniffled. "I'm so, so sorry Aricia."

"It's okay, if anything I understand probably better than anyone else could." Aricia knew the gods, knew their selfish ways and injustice. "If Zeus finds out I know…"

He would destroy her.

"Luke, he promised…" Silena began to cry again. "He p-p-promised me that you would be safe.

"Silena please, just admit your mistake to Chiron and he will understand. Then Luke won't…"

"NO!" Silena screamed. "They'll kill me! Kick me out! If that happens then Kronos and the titans will destroy me themselves! I…I just need to hang on until the battle, I mean I haven't said anything really important to Luke."

"I'll assert myself as the true child of Hera, I will protect you!" Aricia pleaded. "We don't need to go back to camp! We'll go far away!"

"Ari…" Silena felt guilty enough for her choice, but now that Ari knew… "Aricia, turn me in. If Zeus finds out all his fears about keeping you alive will seem suddenly real to him. If he finds out you knew I was a traitor…"

"YOU ARE NOT A TRAITOR!" Aricia screamed. "I'll never turn you in, I will never betray you."

"Thank you." Silena whimpered. "I'm so sorry little sister." She said again. "I never wanted…"

"Shhh…I know Silena." Aricia said gently. "I understand. Don't speak of it again."

"W-we need to f-finish the turtles." Silena forced a smile. "Before my dad comes home."

Aricia waved her hand and instantly the turtles were perfectly completed. Silena laughed and patted Aricia's face. "You're amazing."

That had been the second to last time Aricia had been in the Beauregard's house/chocolate shop. She went once more, after Silena had been killed to deliver the news to her father.

After she had told Silena's father the news, Mr. Beauregard looked as if his world was lost forever. In a way, it was. Silena was his only child, his only little girl. Aricia had watched the teary eyed man shakily reach for something in his desk and pass it to her.

"For you." He said.

"Me?" Aricia was startled. "What is it?"

She opened the folder and Silena's dad said, "Silena and I…we were going to wait until your birthday to give it to you."

"I…don't understand what these…"

"They're adoption papers."

Aricia had been speechless. Mr. Beauregard looked at her sadly and offered a smile. "Silena, she told me who you really were. That you are the daughter of Hera not Aphrodite. We…we wanted to give you a home here." He walked over and smoothed Aricia's hair from her face. "Ari…Aricia, it's not too late just because Silena is… dead." He told her. "You've been here as much of a daughter to me as she was. I don't you to be alone."

"You…You'd still want me?" Aricia dared to ask.

Mr. Beauregard nodded. "Of course."

Silena and her could have been sisters, real sisters. No…they still could be real sisters. Death meant nothing, not when Elysium awaited Aricia when she perished. She looked up at Silena's father and nodded. "Thank you, Dad."