8

Justin Russo woke this morning with a big grin. As he looked round his bedroom, he saw his shelves of science trophies, good merit badges and rows of journals in a row. His Captain Jim Bob Sherwood display was in its usual place on the top shelf, his old robot stood frozen and powerless near the window and his closet stood partially open, filled with his clothing and collectible science fiction clothes. It may not have been the ideal teenage boy's room, but it was his room. From the Star Girl movie poster with Hilary Duff as a costumed superhero to the fantasy pewter figurines, it was all his. He cracked his back with a grin, swung his legs out of his bed and stood in his white t-shirt and pajama pants. As he scratched his back, he started joyfully humming along the theme to "The Andy Griffith Show." Alex meanwhile raced ahead of him and grabbed up the bathroom for herself. The whole time, Justin started humming even louder. Alex got so confused she looked out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in her teeth, gave him a dirty look then vanished back into the bathroom. The whole time, Justin was enjoying being home again. He waited his turn for the bathroom, and came down to the sub shop twenty minutes later this summer morning clean and fresh in his own clothes and happy to be home.

"Good morning, mom…" His kissed his mother after descending the stairs from the loft to the sandwich shop. "Good morning, dad." He turned and patted his dad on the back. "Max, my buddy!" He hugged his brother and turned to appreciate Harper, his sister's best friend. "Harper…" He grinned to her and noticed his sister at the table with Harper helping to fill salt and pepper shakers. "Hello, Satan…" His voice turned from happy to sour.

Alex shot him a dirty look.

"Justin," Theresa came over and drew her son close. "I guess staying in Maine with all those female demigods made you appreciate your life here a lot more."

"Definitely, mom…" Justin sighed contentedly. "I mean, my life here may be difficult at times, but it is my life. I've got parents who love me, a brother's who's a bit strange…"

"Hey…" Max reacted. "Oh wait… yeah, I can accept that."

"A sister who pretended I didn't exist…."

"Actually," Alex filled another shaker. "It wasn't that hard."

"But it's my life!" Justin raised his hand to his chest in assured declaration of his existence. "And you know…" Justin didn't stop smiling. "Alex stole the bathroom out from under me again this morning, and I don't care."

"Come on, Justin…" Alex rose from her seat. "A huge mansion filled with extremely beautiful girls who never grow old?"

"Didn't care." Justin grinned. "But I am going to mss Gwen making me ice cream…"

"I should have known he wasn't you, Justin." Harper helped by filling napkin dispensers. "That other Justin said I had eyes as soulful as Argentina at sunrise." She gasped slowly as if she had fallen for him.

"Wait a minute…" Alex stopped and leaned down to her. "He was making passes at you while the two of us were…"

Jerry stopped and looked at his daughter.

"Doing our homework together…" She stretched the truth for his benefit.

"Alex…" Jerry grinned as an irritated father and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If I ever find out he was doing more than…. Doing homework with you…" He stopped, looked over to Theresa and back to Alex. He looked confused and annoyed. "Oh, I got nothing. What can I do against a demigod?" He set the last table and turned back for the kitchen but stopped just short of the doors. "What I can tell you…" He turned back toward Alex to continue his speech. "Is that those so-called feelings you had for him were probably fake. Like the Greek gods, some demigods have enormous charisma and abilities to stir emotions like you wouldn't believe."

Harper gasped out loud, drawing it out and long as if she was enjoying a memory. Alex looked at her slightly perturbed.

"He meant nothing to me – nothing at all!" Harper tried to convince herself.

"Well…" Alex stood from the table to toss her depleted soda in the trash. "Just to let you know, I am completely over William Troy. I mean, I don't care if he had big brown eyes, big shoulders and could take my breath away and make me feel like…" Her eyes fixated on a point outside the shop and she did the same low breathy gasp Harper had made.

"Okay, new rule…" Jerry was getting more upset by the moment. "No one is to make that…" He made the same breathy moan. "…sound."

Theresa suddenly made the noise.

"Mom!" Justin screeched. Alex and Harper's jaws dropped.

"What?" She responded embarrassed. "He said I was the best mom in the world!"

Everyone was still looking at her.

"He did the dishes for me every night and fixed my grandmother's antique clock." Theresa copped an attitude. "When was the last time any of you did something like that for me?"

"Yeah, well…" Jerry checked Alex's work to prepare the tables for opening the shop. "I'm positive we'll never see anyone from that family in the shop again." He turned with his hand on Justin's shoulder. "Justin, the lair is still a bit of a mess. I want you and your brother to straighten it and make sure we didn't lose anything when Mrs. Troy closed the portal."

"Right, dad…" Justin understood and nodded his head. "Come on, Max…"

"I didn't mean Max." Jerry turned back around. "He's going to a birthday party in thirty minutes. Get your other brother."

"Other brother?" Justin looked terrified.

"Hey, Justin…" As if on cue, William Balder Russo came out from the lair through the kitchen. "Can you help me back here? That guy left us a big mess!"

"What?" Justin couldn't believe it. He was back! "No! No-no-no-no-no-no! Dad, he's…"

"Justin," Lifting her head from chopping tomatoes for the sandwich area, Theresa responded frustratingly annoyed. "Get back there and help your brother clean up that mess!" She pointed the way upset.

"Justin," William placed a brotherly arm around his younger brother with a big grin after a brief glance to Alex. "You're not going to make me clean that room all by myself, are you?"

"But, Mom, Dad!" Justin was tugged away by William's arm around his neck. "Whoa!" He was taken through the swinging door and directly through the false cooler into the secret magic lair. The back wall was intact once more, but the furniture was still awry, the Russo Family Tapestry was on the floor and books, talismans, idols and mystical idolatry littered the askew furniture and furnishing. Justin jumped ahead and looked back to the young demigod who had cast his life asunder for the last few days. It was almost a first meeting. He looked something like a young Hugh Jackman in that bright blue t-shirt and tan khakis. His eyes weren't exactly brown, maybe hazel, and he was almost the same as Justin in size and stature, but he had a larger girth one would expect from a young man with gods in both his father and mother's families.

"What are you doing here?" Justin confronted him, but William just stood back and stared at him with arms folded in a complacent state. "Aren't you supposed to be at some summer camp called True Blood!"

"Half Blood…" William corrected him. "It's actually some school for demigods run by my father's old mentor. I'll just get there a little late…" He chuckled a bit. "Like a few weeks…" He looked back to Justin with a wry rascally grin.

"I can't believe this!" Justin was stressing out, but William was reacting aloof as if he was waiting for Justin to stop ranting. "You can't be here! How can my parents not know who you really are? Don't they know you're here?"

"No…" William stood grinning like a big rascal. "They think I'm your older brother." He paused a bit concerned. "You know, your parents are really susceptible to the power of suggestion."

"They are?" Justin wondered if that was because of Alex. "Just tell me one thing… why? Why are you back here?"

"Justin…" William responded abashedly insecure. "I'm in love with your sister. I've got to win her heart back. I just have to…" He paused truthfully emotional. "I've never met anyone who likes to pretend to be so irascible. She's… unpredictable, funny, smart, artistic…" He paused with an abashed grimace. "A great kisser."

"Too much information!" Justin screeched. "I don't need to know that!" He covered his ears with his hand.

"Justin…" William confided in him as if they were real brothers. "Give me a few days, a week or two? I mean… your sister's a lot nicer when I'm around." He leaned into him with his hand on Justin's shoulder. "You can't tell me you've never wanted an older brother… someone on your side for a change?"

"Three days." Justin's eyebrow went up suspiciously.

"Two weeks." William bartered.

"One week."

"I could just mess with your memories."

"Brother!" Justin beamed and hugged William and they laughed together. Theresa came strolling with two plastic glasses of lemonade on a tray for her two boys. The room was still in disarray and the overhead chandelier was hanging on its end.

"What are you boys doing?" She reprimanded them. "This room is not looking any cleaner. Come on!"

"Sorry, mom…" Justin and William chorused as they took the lemonade.

"Get to it." She took the tray and headed back out to run the shop. Jerry was fixing a subway club for a regular customer. As he chopped the onions further to order, his mind drifted back to his past of being with his wife and kids, but in those memories, it seemed there was only three kids looking at him: two boys and one girl. One boy who was responsible, a second that acted a bit slow at times and a daughter he didn't completely trust. His head turned up as certain events of his life concerning them seemed as if they should have ended another way.

"Theresa…" Jerry paused a bit confused. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but… don't we have three kids?"

"Four, Jerry!" Theresa reminded him. "You keep forgetting Max!"

"That's right…" Jerry chuckled at his forgetfulness. "I'm sorry, Max…"

"That's weird…" Max looked up from his video game. "I keep forgetting Alex!" He shook his head with a sigh and looked back to the game he was supposed to give as a birthday gift to his friend, Georgie Switzer, from school. Off to his right, several girls entered the sub shop looking around the place. The blonde leading them was in a striped black and white sweater and her brunette twin sister was in a black blouse with violet designer jeans. Their younger sisters were possibly about Alex's age. Harper looked over their choice of wardrobe and chuckled at their taste. Alex recognized some of it from her fashion catalogs. They filtered through the tables and chairs and came together at the other side of the dining area. Coming up to the counter, Tricia Troy lit up with a smile with her sisters Lisa, Maddie and Emily standing behind her en masse.

"Good morning, girls…" Jerry lit up to meet these teenaged beauties then responded curiously. "How can I help you?"

"Hi…" Tricia grinned romantically. "Can Justin come out to play?"

END