A/n You people are soo impatient! I updated twice this past Tuesday, four days ago! However, I really can't complain it's truly gratifying to know that so many people are enjoying my story to this extent! On that note, special thank yous to Ramzes, Poseidon93, Shoshona79, Micaela Scarlett Hart, Cat, ShadowOfMyLight, AwesomeTori, ., and AthenaKidd for the reviews! Also, I would like to thank Lady of Blatant Sarcasm for adding this story to her community "The Greatest Of Them All". I am unsure if this is an act of sarcasm or not, however I am happy for what is likely an opportunity to reach more people who may find enjoyment in my writing. :-D As Ramzes suggested, I do have a lot of time on my hands to be working on this story, this is a big part of what's keeping me from going stir crazy while I'm stuck in the house while my friends and Boyf are working or another blizzard is dropping tons of snow on my area. My days are spent job searching, and playing Frontierville on Facebook, while I wait for my ppl to get out of work so I can chill with them. Though if anyone knows of anywhere in the Philly area that may be interested in hiring a girl with a Bachelors Degree in Culinary Arts, Hotel/Restaurant Management and Hospitality with a focus on event planning and catering and event experience who recently graduated from CIA , I promise I'll keep writing once I get a job! However, that is not why you folks are reading :-D

I'm sorry, this chapter did take me awhile and give me a great deal of difficulty, I have several rewrites and versions on my computer, but here it is. Sorry about the short of it. I anticipate another update by the end of the weekend.

Please enjoy!
Miette

**Disclaimer** I am, with all due respect, borrowing characters and a world from Rick Riordan, anything that you do not recognize as his is mine :-D

"Well, here we go." Leo messed with something in his wheelhouse, and the ship began a slow controlled descent. Within a few minutes, the Argo II was docked at the Schola where Jason and Bia had done most of their growing up.

"Home sweet home." Bia tossed her bag over her shoulder, looking up at the short cliff that separated them from the Schola. If you didn't know where the path up was, it looked rather intimidating. For all of its short height by cliff standards, it was nearly straight vertical. "I almost swear I can smell the nearby vineyards." Bia took a deep breath.

Jason smiled at Bia, who stood, with her eyes closed and her face turned up to the sun, "And just look at the mountains in the distance. I didn't realize how much I've missed it."

"Yea, because Camp Half-Blood is so much better." Bia laughed thinking of the Schola itself. The picturesque location aside, the Schola really didn't have much to recommend it, though it was her home and she'd always have a place in her heart for it.

"Camp is better?" Piper asked as they all disembarked from their ship.

"It's much…" Jason looked at Bia for a diplomatic word.

"It's homier." Bia said with a shrug. "It's far more welcoming and…happy. I don't know. I guess you guys will see. Come on."

"Are we supposed to fly up there?" Leo asked looking up at the cliff face.

"No, this way," Jason led the way to the, nearly invisible to the uninformed eye, path.

"You guys had best let Jason lead a bit when we approach the main camp area, though they may be watching for us. Even though they know we're all coming they'll be…anxious about it. Especially you guys." Bia said as they made it to the top of the cliff. A short distance away, the three Greeks took in their first view of the Schola. A collection of tents seemed to make up most of it, though Annabeth thought she recognized a few training areas similar to what they had at camp. "They're not used to outsiders here and don't take well to them." Piper and Annabeth looked at each other, noticing Bia's use of the word 'they', the two girls however didn't point it out. "I'm hoping with all of the communication in the last two weeks they'll be more relaxed and welcoming than usual, but I'm not sure—

"You're back!" At that moment, Bia was interrupted by three bundles of high energy that propelled themselves at her, seemingly from nowhere.

"Yes," Bia laughed, kneeling down to receive hugs from a boy and girl with bright golden blonde hair and a girl with sun bleached brown hair. "Salve carissime. I've missed you three desperately, but why are you not at your lessons?" Bia turned a stern eye on the three children before her.

"Get back." A voice barked at the three children who clung to Bia, ignoring the order.

Bia looked up to see a semi-circle of people she recognized standing between her party and the tents that made up the main part of the Schola.

"Degredior." Jason ordered the boy who'd spoken.

Bia straightened, shifting the three children behind her when the boy made no move. "Bobby, your Legatus legionis just told you to step down, do it." Her voice hardened and a fire blazed in her eyes at the last two words.

Bobby ignored the orders, keeping his gladius raised, almost as though he expected an attack. On either side of him stood a girl, one holding a gladius, similar to Bobby's, the other holding a Pilum, or a javelin. Neither girl looked thrilled with their positions.

Bobby said something in Latin, speaking so quickly even Annabeth couldn't translate his words, though it was evident from the tones of Jason and Bia's responses that the three were having an argument of some kind.

To the side of the unwelcoming committee stood two more girls and a very anxious looking Percy.

"Hey Wise Girl," He stepped toward Annabeth, unsure of what he should do, though what he wanted was to hold her tight and never let her go.

Annabeth looked at Percy, something about him looked different, harder, he had muscles he hadn't had before. She felt nervous in a way she hadn't while he was gone or talking to him via Iris Message. She hadn't felt anxious about the prospect of seeing him, but now? Her heart beat rapidly and she didn't notice anything but him.

Looking at the beautiful blonde girl only a few feet from him, Percy wasn't sure how he could have possibly forgotten her even a little bit. Not that Hera had succeeded in wiping Annabeth completely from his mind, there was a reason she was the first person he remembered, even before his mother or father. He ran his hand absently through his messy black hair, trying to figure out what he should do when her face broke into the bright smile he loved so much.

Annabeth could almost read the emotions crossing Percy's face; he always had been an open book especially to her. She watched as Percy ran his hand through his hair, apprehension writ clearly on his face. The familiar gesture pulled her from her trance, more muscular or not, he was still her Seaweed Brain, still her best friend, still the person she loved most in the world.

Percy had the wind knocked out of him as Annabeth closed the distance between them and threw her arms around his neck. He lifted her off of her feet with his arm tight around her waist.

"Don't you ever, EVER leave me like this again, Seaweed Brain." She whispered into his neck, "Ever!" she raised one of her hands and lightly smacked the back of his head to emphasis her point.

"I wouldn't have left you this time if I'd had a choice."

Annabeth stepped back, resting her hands on Percy's shoulders. "You would have left." She said with certainty, "Not the way you did, but if she," there was no need to elaborate on who 'she' was especially with the dislike Annabeth put into the short pronoun, "if she had come to you and told you what was happening and going to happen and what you could do, you would have gone. It's part of what makes you a hero." Annabeth wrapped her arms back around Percy's neck and kissed him, "Just, if you have a choice, give me a warning."

"I will," Percy promised swinging Annabeth in a circle.

An assortment of cheers and 'awws' guided Percy and Annabeth back to their surroundings. While the couple had been reuniting the two girls standing with Bobby had abandoned him to Bia and Jason and were now standing with the other two girls Percy had been.

"Come on, sit with us," A blonde with a bow and quiver on her back said, dropping to the ground, "they're going to be awhile." Here she gestured to Bobby, Bia, and Jason, still arguing.

"Yea, Bobby's gotten quite…paranoid," The second girl said as though choosing a delicate word, "since Jason's disappearance."

"Not that he wasn't paranoid enough to start with." The girl with the pilum muttered as she led the three children from Bia to the group under the tree.

"He's mostly hot air." The girl with the gladius said, "He is a good guy, though." She settled under the tree across from Piper and Leo.

The three children flopped to the ground between the blonde and black haired girls. "Bia would want us to be hospit-hops-hospital-"

"Hospitable." Mica supplied the word Kiki was searching for.

"Right." Kiki turned to the older girls, "Bia would want us to be that."

"I know, honey, we are." The archer girl pulled Kiki to her side in a hug.

"We don't get a lot of strangers here. I know you guys don't really count with all of the talking and planning we've all done, but well, Bobby still isn't comfortable with all of this." The other girl who had been standing with Bobby said, idly toying with a blade of grass.

"We're all a little anxious. Bobby's been in charge since Jason disappeared, he's been very concerned with living up to Jason. I think now he's got it in his head that this is some sort of ploy. It's not, is it?" Asked the black haired girl.

"No, of course not," Annabeth replied, leaning against Percy, "though…" her mind now racing with the possibilities of such a plan in a battle.

"I give up." Bia fell into an empty stop beneath the tree, "let the two of them duke it out." She waved her hand behind her at the two boys who were still speaking rapidly in Latin "I suppose proper introductions are in order now that everyone is meeting in person." Bia glanced around the group as though deciding the best way to order the introductions. "Ok," she looked at the Romans, "ladies, may I introduce Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Yay! Sister!" One of the Roman girls interrupted Bia and was soundly ignored, save for the severe glare Bia threw her way.

" and Leo Valdez," Bia continued as though she'd not been interrupted, "son of Hephaestus and the designer and engineer of that amazing ship currently docked down there. Of Camp Half-Blood." She indicated each of the Greek Demigods as she named them and then gestured toward the beach and the Argo II as she mentioned Leo's accomplishment. Bia now turned to her Greek companions, "And from the Schola, "Reyna Emerson, daughter of Mars," who turned out to be the girl with the gladius, next was the girl with the pilum "Dakota Fayet, daughter of Pluto." Seeing Dakota again, Bia noticed some similarities in her appearance and Nico's that she hadn't before. Lastly, Bia indicated the two girls with whom Percy had been standing, "Gwendolyn Carter, daughter of Apollo," was the blonde with the bow and quiver "and Hazel McGowen, daughter of Aphrodite," was the girl who had interrupted Bia at Piper's introduction.

"And these are the three we've heard so much about?" Annabeth gestured to the three children sitting around Bia.

"Yes," Bia smiled fondly at the children who had moved to sit around her when she sat, "are you being shy or will you say hello?"

The blonde boy lying with his head pillowed on Bia's right knee sat up, "I'm Drew, son of Apollo." He said proudly, "and that's my twin sister, Kiki." He pointed to his sister lying on Bia's left knee, who was biting her lip nervously.

"I'm Mica," the girl sat up straight from her spot leaning against Bia, "My mother is Minerva." Her clear gray eyes were nearly identical to those that Annabeth shared with Athena.

"Now," Bia looked back at the children, "I never got a straight answer as to why you three aren't at your lessons."

"I let them off," Gwenn said, "they were never going to settle, the little eavesdroppers knew you were coming in today. Poor Lou had her hands full enough today with the rest of the Nati and making sure everything was ready, without dealing with these terrors. However," she looked at her siblings and Mica, "we have a bargain. Besides, Louette said she'd need you guys once Bia arrived."

In unison, the three children stood up and argued, trying to convince Gwen and Bia to let them stay.

"If you guys made a deal with Gwen, I'm not changing it. Go, give Lou a hug from me and tell her we'll be by soon." The three kids didn't move as though hoping to get a reprieve. Bia simply pointed to the tents and the Nati scurried away.

"They're adorable," Piper said, watching as the three children ran to the tents and disappeared inside one.

"You want one of your own, Beauty Queen?"

"No thank you," Piper shuddered, "my brothers and sisters back at camp are all the kids I can deal with for right now."

"At least you've got them all standing up to Drew." Jason walked over with Bobby and sat beside Piper. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her tight against him, laying a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh my." Hazle looked from Jason to Piper, the look of shock on her face mirrored on those of her friends.

"Fearless Leader's finally let down that wall a bit?" Dakota asked Bia who simply shrugged smiling.

"Oh, leave off of him!" Reyna smiled, a small shadow darkening her eyes, though her smile belied it. "I want to hear about Bia's new friend!" Reyna turned to Bia laughing at the red stain on Bia's cheeks.

"New friend? I've no idea what you're talking about…I've new friends here." She gestured to the three Greeks who had come with her and Jason, to Pipers immense amusement.

"We don't have time for this frivolous girl talk." Bobby interrupted everyone else laughter gruffly.

"Who spit in your Musla this morning?" Bia asked irritated.

"Yea, shove off. You've been foul all week." Dakota added with a glare that could have stopped a heartbeat.

"And you've all gone soft in the head. Am I the only one who sees the danger of this? The trick this could be."

"Allow me to introduce my brother, Bobby, son of Mars." Reyna said annoyance clear in her voice.

"The danger is Gaea, not the Greeks. There is danger in this, in our quest, but that's nothing new. There is a danger in us being hurt in battle or worse, failing. The danger does not lie in this plan or working together." Jason said, irritated, it seemed this was a repeat of part of the argument Jason and Bobby had just ended.

"The danger is in us not succeeding together." Annabeth added from her spot beside Percy.

"Annebeth's right. The main danger is if we aren't able to put aside our differences." Bia said.

"Bobby, you're the only one against this, and you chose to speak up three days ago. It was a little late." Gwen said, shifting anxiously in her seat.

"It's too late to turn back now, besides, you trust Jason, Bia, and Percy, why not trust their friends." Hazle said, her tone suggesting she had this discussion with Bobby before.

"We all want the same thing," Piper said, allowing her voice to become infused with a small bit of her power, "we want to stop Gaea, save Olympus and save the world."

Bobby glared around at the group, but he dropped the subject, Pipers small amount of Charmspeaking had worked.

"Come on," Gwen rose with a dancers grace to her feet, "much to see and do and get ready. We've sat and chitchatted enough."

A/n Thank you for reading. As usual, constructive criticism will be taken under advisement, after a short personal temper tantrum. Please review if you feel so inclined, anything you have to say is appreciated, to a great extent your reviews act as my muses!

Miette