Chapter 3

Annabeth's POV

(20 years ago…)

The air warmed up suspiciously. I looked up in time to see a group of kids appear on the Hermes table. All over their food.

"Hey!"

"Get off my pizza!"

"I haven't even taken a bite yet!" They protested.

But the kids ignored them. The girl in front, a blond with blue green eyes, hopped off the table over their heads. The other kids followed her example.

"Amber, do you think it worked?" A chocolate brown haired girl with familiar looking icy blue eyes asked. She was dressed in dark blue jeans, a gray owl tee shirt, gray converse, a white hoodie that was unzipped, and a gray beanie.

The blonde haired girl, Amber, shrugged. "Maybe. We just need to find our parents, if they took 20 years younger, then it worked. If not, then we're stuck here, as the gods won't remember a thing from their future."

A boy with curly black hair and gray eyes mumbled, "Nah dip, Sherlock." He was dressed in black Converse, dark blue jeans, a maroon t shirt, and was wearing a shark tooth necklace. Both he and the girl struck me as familiar.

Amber moved, giving me a clear view of what she was wearing: light blue jeans, dark blue Converse, dark blue tank top, a gray, white, and dark blue plaid flannel over it, and a dark blue beanie. Her eyes shifted from blue green to sea green as she stepped into a darker part of the mess hall.

"If you weren't my twin brother, I would've slapped the taste out of your mouth, Noah." She sweetly told the black haired boy. I shivered; her threat reminded me of Sadie Kane, the cheeky British Egyptian magician who lived in Brooklyn.

Noah chuckled. Then he squinted. "Where's your necklace? You were wearing it in the throne room."

Throne room? As in… on Olympus? Not possible…

Who were these kids?

Amber's eyes widened. She grabbed at the necklace that wasn't there.

The brown haired girl spoke up. "Lucas is gone too."

Amber's eyes hardened when the realization dawned on her. "That charbroiled kleptomaniac is dead. He is soo dead."

The girl snickered as a hoot of laughter filled the pavilion. All eyes turned to a boy who looked around 15 or 16. He was wearing the black and white version of Amber's outfit, except a black cross necklace hung from his neck. Dangling in his hand was a silver owl necklace. His curly brown hair and mischievous chocolate brown eyes held such a strong resemblance to Leo Valdez that it gave me vertigo. A glance from Percy told me that I wasn't the only one who had noticed this.

Amber's eyes blazed. She stomped over to him, getting angrier with every step. Something told me that all of Hades was about to break loose.

The brown haired hung back, but Noah followed his sister.

"Lucas Archimedes Valdez, you better give that back before I choke you with a knife." Amber growled.

My head swam. His last name was Valdez? I frantically tried to put the pieces to this maddening puzzle together.

No such luck.

Noah protested. "But he's my best friend! I'll have nobody!"

A boy with blonde hair and kaleidoscope eyes snorted. "So nice to know you care, Noah."

Noah turned to the guy. "Sorry, Alex."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Whatever. But if your sister does kill Lucas, you're on clean up duty."

I turned my attention back on Amber and Lucas. She was about to strangle him when the brown haired girl walked up.

It was obvious she was a descendant of Aphrodite. She swayed her hips with ease and charm as she gazed lovingly, flirtatiously, and longingly at Lucas.

"Don't worry, Amber, I got this." She assured her, her voice smooth as silk.

Amber begrudgingly stepped aside, fully aware of what was about to happen. "Sure, Skye."

The girl sidled up next to Lucas. His grin subsided.

"Hey, Lucas." Skye purred.

Lucas turned bright red. "H-hey, Skye." Lucas stuttered.

Skye started to mess with Lucas's hair. He turned pink.

"You know, that was really mean, what you did to Amber." She charmed.

Lucas grinned. "Revenge is sweet."

Skye nodded. She traced her finger along his chest. Lucas shivered. She muttered a few inaudible offhand comments into his ear before leaning back and staring at him in the eyes, pulling him into her gaze.

She seemed to be charmspeaking him.

The poor boy.

"Yeah, but do you know what's even sweeter?" Skye stood on her tippy toes, placed her hands on his pecs, and muttered right in front of his lips.

I saw Skye motioning to Amber behind Lucas's back. I felt myself smirk.

Clearly these girls were tacticians. A plan worthy of Athena.

Amber smirked and raised a hand. All the water in the mess hall flew towards her.

Campers gasped.

No, I thought. It can't be.

Lucas tried to see what the campers were gawking at, but Skye hugged his face with her hands, forcing him to focus on her.

"What?' he asked, as if he were afraid of the answer.

Skye gave him a sly smile. She closed the gap between them, her eyes locked on his lips.

Lucas was dead meat.

"This," She mumbled. Her lips stopped a centimeter away from his. She stepped back, gave him an evil grin, and spun him around.

Lucas, dazed, didn't notice a very mischievous looking Amber.

"Let 'er rip, Amber!" Skye called.

"With pleasure!" She answered back.

Lucas snapped out of his charmspoken trance, but it was too late. He was blasted in the face with water.

Lucas screeched through the liquid and fell backwards on his butt, arms flailing.

Skye and Amber broke into laughter. Noah and Alex looked on in pity, shaking their heads sullenly, as if mourning a fallen hero.

Amber gave Skye a high five, and then turned to Lucas. Said boy was dripping wet shoulders up.

"You're right, Archie. Revenge is sweet." She managed to say before she cracked up again.

Lucas rolled his eyes. Then his hair caught on fire, drying it instantly.

Many campers from the Hephaestus cabin gasped, remembering fire users.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just remind me why I try to mess with you two." He grumbled.

Skye smirked. "Because you're an idiot."

"Shut up, Skye."

She shrugged. "You asked, didn't you?"

"And?"

"I answered, didn't I?"

"I know." Cue sigh.

"Okay kids. Settle down." Amber jumped in.

By now, everyone present wanted to know who these kids were. Percy and I both got up and walked over to them.

"Okay, who are you?" He bluntly asked.

I swatted his arm. "Such a warm welcome, Seaweed Brain." I sarcastically said.

Amber laughed. "S'fine."

I nodded. "But seriously, who are you?"

Amber bowed from the waist, her right hand on her lower left rib cage. "Amber Lynn Delilah Jackson, at your service." She straightened.

"Wait, hold your horses! Jackson?" I asked.

Amber gave me a smile that pretty much said "I-know-something-that-you-don't." It unnerved me. A mischievous glint shined in her now blue green eyes.

"That's right. It's good to see you, Mom." She answered.