Chapter 12

I wake up to the sound of the garage door opening. I glance to the alarm clock that sits on the bedside table beside me. 3am the digits read.

My only thoughts are 'Dad. He's back home.'

I throw the thick blankets off me in a hurry and almost trip over my feet to get downstairs in time.

"Dad!" I say, screeching to a halt and actually trippping up. More skidding, but whats the difference when your Dad is looking at you like you're a creep.

"Piper." He slurs, gripping onto the bench in a drunken haze. Well, I assume he's drunk.

I take a step forwards and the scent oof alcohol is faint but noticable in the air.

"Are you drunk?" I ask stupidly, already knowing the answer to the question. Yes.

"Are you?"He asks back, his words sticking together as if one was a clingy girlfriend and the other... well, the other was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Dad."

"Piper." He says in the same tone of voice, letting go of the bench top. Nervousness creeps into me, hitting every bone and muscle. I almost buckle under it, and fall to my knees. But that would be weak. I cannot be weak right now, even at this ungodly hour.

I hear dull foootsteps, sliding down the stairs. Someone else is awake.

Paisley sleeppily strolls into the kitchen, where I am, taking in the scene in frront of her.

"Ugh. What is that smell?" She says, crinkling her nose in disgust. Please come and help. If anyone knows what to do, its her. She's been in this situation. Her eyes narrow in on Dad.

"Alcohol. Piper, move away from the bench." She warns, seeing my dad's hand which was closing in around the drawer which held knives. "Now."

I edge away, the nerves playing a game of tag in my stomach, flying everywhere. The panic was rushing to my head, making my movements small, quavering and quick.

I get to where Paisley is, and fumble for her thin forearm. She looks nervous too, but barely. She must have quite some experience with this.

"Go and get one of the boys. Percy or Jason." She orders, "Be very quick."

And just like that, without a thought I scramble up the stairs, almost passing Jason's door. I hit the door with my knuckles a few times before flinging the door open.

"Jason!" I hiss, jumping onto his bed and shaking him awake.

"Pipes what-" He says quizically before I cut him off.

"Dad's home but he's drunk. Paisleys downstairs with him." I say, shoving at Jason to get him out of bed.

Jason is quick on his feet to get the heck downstairs before anything gets chaotic.

I run after him, dodging the corners of walls and almost tripping over the railing. I slide doown the stairs, slipping on the last two to the kitchen, only to find it utterly empty.

"Piper! She's in here!" Jason says from the lounge.

I slide on my socks to the lounge where Paisley is laying Dad on the couch.

She rested his head on the pillow, and looks at me. "He passed out after questioning me about who I was."

"And?" I prod, kneeling next to him.

"And I had to pick him up off the floor." Paisley says, "He should sleep it off so we have to be rather quiet later on."

"Okay. Thank you Paisley." I thank the fifteen year old who nods at me weakly before heading off to bed.

"He'll be fine, Pipes. Just a little bit of a shock. Thats all." Jason says, coming over to me to wrap me in a warm, comforting hug.

"I sure hope thats all it is." I say, gazing at my father's passed out form.

"Piper! Get up! You promised we'd go surfing!" Paisley shakes me awake excitedly, "C'mon!"

I groan, roll over, and hit her off my bed. I hear a small thud and a 'Hey!'. I smile, trying to snuggle into the covers.

Trying to.

"Beauty Queen!" Leo says, tugging the covers off me, "You did promise her."

"Please!" Paisley says. I open an eye to find her pouting, and looking like a puppy. She did the eyes. Her eyes were already big, but when she did 'the face' her eyes went huge, and her lip pouted out. Ugh!

"Fine!" i say, scruffing her messy waves and getting out of bed, throwing off the covers.

"Yay!"Paisley skips around the room, and attempts doing a few ballet moves. Leo looks at her like its the most genius thing ever and joins her.

"We're going to the beach beach beach. This don't need to be a speech speech speech, because when I say we're going to the beach beach beach, We're going to the BEACH!" Paisley says, before Jason opens the door.

"JASON! WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH!" She squeals, squishing her tanned cheeks together.

"I got that." Jason nods. She skips out the door, singing her song and rapping on everyones doors.

After breakfast, Percy decides to join us. He's sporting his board shorts, and a loose white tank top.

"Percy! Shh! Mr McLean is sleeping!" Paisley scolds with a mouth ful of toast.

"Chew and swallow before talking, Paisley." Annabeth tells her. I laugh quietly at Paisley's reaction. She chews with her mouth open purposely, grinning at Annabeth.

"Nice. Nico, what the heck do you see in her?" Leo asks Nico playfully.

Paisley snaps something in Maori, before eating her breakfast like a civilized person.

"Speak english."Leo tells her.

Paisley says something else, which I assume is 'no'.

"Lets go surfing." Percy says, ushering everyone out the door before Paisley can spout another curse in her native tongue.

"NO!" I cry through my laughter, squirming over Jason's shoulder, "PUT ME DOWN!"

"Put you down?" jason asks, smirking. He was waist deep in the cool water. "Okay."

"Jason you-" SPLASH! My body hits the cold water, and shocks fling down my nerves. Cold! So cold. I jump up, gasping for breath and spitting my hair out of my face. Yuck. "-Jerk."

I storm out of the water and to the beach where Leo is laughing at me. I shove him gently, before sitting in my towel, under my blanket.

Paisley and Percy were over on the other side of the beach, surfing. If I squinted I could see them vaguely. Nico was staying under the shade of the umbrella, and Annabeth was laying down on her long towel beside me. Her sunglasses were tucked over her grey eyes, and her blond hair was held up in a messy high bun. Her tan skin contrasted with the grey bikini top and black shorts she was wearing.

I wasn't much better. I was wearing a blue training bikini under my previously white shirt. My denim shorts were soaked with the salty water, and my hair was let down. Now its all sandy and wet, over my eyes. I flick it away from my sight and glare at the sand in front of me.

My hands work to make a sandcastle, no matter how bad it is. I am making this castle and no one is stopping me.

"Who wants lunch?" Annabeth says halfway through my castle making. I look up, and see her by the picnic basket. The boys immediately swarm to it, resulting in Annabeth swatting them away with her shoe. Percy must have heard the word 'lunch' because he was here too. Paisley came here about ten minutes ago and started helping me silently to build the sand castle.

Annabeth sets everything out, just as a small breeze starts. My shirt is now dry, so I chuck Annabeth hers. She looks at me greatfully, before slipping the piece of purple material over her head. She hands out the sandwiches and cups of juice.

"Paisley, want anything?" She asks. Paisley is still constructing the castle. It's quite tall now, almost a foot and a half. She's drawing patterns into the sides and decorating it with shells. Paisley doesn't hear, and Nico shoves a sandwich into her mouth. She glares at him, before chewing slowly.

"You're too skinny." He shrugs, "I swear you're skin and bone."

She shrugs, "High metabolism or something. And I barely ever get hungry. And I'm not allowed too much sugar."

Annabeth hands her a cup of juice as well. We all fall into a comfortable silence.

"That was yummy." Leo says, rubbing his belly.

Jason sits behind me, and I lean into his warm touch. The breeze was cooling me so much that I had goosebumps. His arms wrap around my waist, and secure me in his embrace. My dainty hands grip his wrists.

"Cold?" He asks me, bringing me closer.

"Hmm." I agree, snuggling into him.

"We'll go soon." He says to me.

"What?" Percy and Paisley shriek, "We can't go!"

"Please, guy's?" Leo says, "My fingers are geting all wrinkly and I'm too young to have wrinkles!"

"Ten more minutes. "Annabeth compromises, looking at me, "Not all of us are immune to the water."

"Race you back to the water, Paisley!" Percy shouts to his younger sister, who eagerly jumps up, almost tredding on our sandcastle, and races after him.

Annabeth starts packing up the cups and wrappers, and putting them in the basket.

"Have you talked to your Dad yet?" Annabeth asks, touching the subject I would rather not.

"Not in his sober state yet. I will when we get home."

Procrastinating wasn't the best idea. When we got home, to my place, Dad was crying quietly to himself.

"Piper?" He croaks, looking at me with bloodshot eyes. Annabeth ushers everyone into a different room.

I approach my Dad with caution, not knowing if he's sober yet.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asks.

"I didn't want to scare you." I say pathetically, "I know you'd be terrorfied that things like monsters and greek and roman gods exist."

"But you didn't tell me?"

"You know when you went missing a few years ago?" I ask, praying he remembers.

"Yeah."

"You were kidnapped by a giant to lure me to save you and give up Jason and Leo. Mum gave me a potion to give to you to wipe the memories away. And Jane was workingg with Medea, who was working with Gaia, who was working with the Giant." I confess, "And Coach Hedge and Mellie are part of the mythological world too. Hedge is a satyr, and Mellie is a Nymph."

Dad's eyes widen and he looks stunned. Less than before, but still stunned.

"Sorry for dropping it all on you, but I think you're ready to know." I say, looking at my hands that are clenched together.

Before I know it, I'm in my father's warm embrace.

"Thank you." He tells me, "Thank you for telling me and not lying anymore."

A/N

Hey everybody! Its me!

I am in wellington! Its cold. Very cold. Not snowing, just cold and windy and rainy.

KaleidoscopeColours

UNEDITED BECAUSE i CANNOT BE BOTHERED