A/N Hi everyone, sorry for the long time! About two weeks give or take, I think? I hope I have some people still sticking around because I really enjoy writing this story and I enjoy your feed back. While I write it at least 50% for myself, I also write for the pride I get when I know people are enjoying it and your enjoyment. Some flames and negative opinions I may brush away because, as I said, I write what I want for my enjoyment, but I do appreciate opinions and constructive criticism

Some of this chappie was written while I was being a bad cliche. I was annoyed at my BF so I spent the evening with a bottle of whiskey and my compie last weekend. In other news, what have Percy and Annabeth been up to? They're back! Briefly.

Quick comments.

greekosisnotgeekos- Thank you for your point. I want to try not to take too many liberties with the cannon, mythology, and reality, so I appreciate your input. That said, yes, I am aware that Vesta is a maiden goddess which is one HUGE reason that I adore the fact that Rick Riordan set the precedence in the series for a maiden goddess to have children without having physical or carnal relations with a mortal male. ::cough,cough, Athena and her cabin full of children:: I had one initial explanation in a conversation between Nico and Bia which was crap, I've changed it, I'll have to check to see if I fixed the chapter on here to reflect the change. For the sake of this story, Vesta only has children every few generations out of respect for her Vestal Virgins. However, when she does have a child with a mortal man, it is a child born of emotion, usually strong familial love, and literal fire. The child appears in the hearth/fireplace of the house.

In regards to Bia, I need to work on how she is coming through in the story. In my characterization of her, I imagine her as a jumbled up combination of Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility and a dear friend of mine when she was battling with depression, and of course, herself. I see her as not so much being popular and well liked by everyone, though I see why it seems that way, when it truly is only that the only people who have been involved in the story and with her happen to be people who do like her. However, I sort of see her as the quite, sweet, goodhearted seeming person that everyone likes well enough because she makes them feel good about themselves and they don't know here well enough not to like her. It's not so much that they like her as they like her well enough and don't know enough not to. They care when they need her.

I also need to work on the kids, I'm having trouble not making them too old or too young seeming. Well, I adore them, though. It was unintentional, but I realized they remind me of my nieces and nephews.

Ok, soo, I know where this is going, this is just a tough bit for me to get through to get there. Almost through, though! Please enjoy and I'm confident there won't be such a delay for the next bit. Ok, now I must go, I just wanted to get this up before I go watch ALICE IN WONDERLAND with my Daddy!

Thank you for reading my work!
Miette

**Disclaimer** I do not own PJO

Mica met back up with the twins where she'd left them before entering the Minerva tent.

"Where did you get that?" Drew asked, his eyes wide at the golden aureus in her hand.

"Erik."

Kiki giggled, "Erik from Mercury gave you an aureus?"

"I thought you couldn't stand him," the look on Drew's face was decidedly sullen as he looked between the giggling Kiki and the flushed Mica.

"Shush! Come-on, now we need to find Bia's friends name."

Drew rolled his eyes, but followed the two girls, thinking how annoying Erik, son of Mercury was. Why was he giving Mica presents, anyway?

"I'm going to kill her!" Reyna stormed away from the Nidus, Gwen and Dakota following quickly behind her, hoping to keep her from making too much of a scene.

"Reyna," Gwen began, reaching for her friend. Coming from Reyna, she could mean that literally.

"Seriously! How are we supposed to understand what's going on or help or trust her if we can't talk to her!"

"She's stressed and upset,"

"Yea," Reyna turned to Dakota, cutting her off, "wouldn't you be too, if you'd betrayed your people, people that counted you friend and family and thought they could rely on you in a fight, and they found out?"

Dakota didn't say anything, she and Gwen exchanged a look. Things were looking very bad for Bia. There had to be some sort of explanation, but was it good enough, whatever it was?

"If we can't trust her," Reyna had finally lowered her voice, "she can't go on Monday. Saturday is halfway done. How can we send a girl that betrayed us on a quest in less than 48 hours? Especially such an important quest?"

Neither of the other girls could argue with her. They were each lost in their own jumbled, unhappy thoughts and didn't notice that Bobby had joined them.

"Jason wants us in the clearing." The girls all jumped at Bobby's words.

"Geez, Bobby, sneak around much?" Reyna hit her brother with a fist that probably would have knocked down a non child of Mars.

"I was standing here for a few minutes; you guys just weren't paying attention."

"Whatever," his sister replied.

"Come-on, Jason is already there with the Greeks," Bobby said the last word like it put a sour taste in his mouth.

"Why? He's not letting them know about," Gwen waved an arm at the Nidus were Bia was still hiding out, "this?"

Bobby just shrugged. While the girls didn't quite share his distrust, they also didn't want their dirty laundry aired with these people they'd only just met, and well there was some gray area between distrust and trust.

"Well," Dakota said slowly, trying to be open minded, "I suppose if they're supposed to be going on this quest with her they have some right to know."

Reyna simply snorted before turning and walking into the woods.

Mica looked around the camp, scanning and quickly overlooking the familiar faces she'd grown up with.

"Mica, who are we looking for?"

Mica didn't respond, just began walking as quickly as her 8 year old legs could carry her, the twins hurrying after her. When she'd spoken to them at breakfast, Percy and Annabeth had said they were going to walk around the camp, Annabeth was really excited and interested about learning about the similarities and differences between the Schola and Camp Half-Blood and the Greek and Roman Gods and cultures first hand. She hadn't realized until she and Jason had spoken to Clovis when Jason first arrived at camp how different the Greek and Roman deities could be. Mica figured this meant they would likely seek out some of the children of Minerva, but no one had been in the tent when she'd gone to grab her precious aureus. She wasn't sure where old couples, she internally cringed at the thought, would go to be alone. She didn't understand why the olds girls liked boys that way.

"What's with the crowd over there?" Kiki shaded her eyes and looked toward the water. Gathered on the plateau high above the beach was indeed a large crowd. As the three children got closer, they heard the familiar sounds of a fight.

With Drew pushing through, the three children used their smaller size to fit through the crowd ringing the fighting pair.

"You've gotten smug again, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth taunted from her crouch a few feet in front of Percy, hastily wiping a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail with one hand while her other hand clutched her knife.

"Come a little closer and say that, Wise Girl!"

She laughed and quickly closed the distance between them, her knife flashing quickly. Based on the couples flushed and sweaty faces, the duel had been going on for a little bit. The two went back and forth, their fighting style slightly different from that which was studied at the Schola. Mica glanced at the faces around her, curious as to the reactions of her fellow Romans. Since the Greeks had arrived yesterday evening, the officers had been pretty much doing their best to insulate them from the rest of the camp. There were all sorts of mixed feelings among the Romans in regards to the presence of the Greeks and working with them, the one that was common to some degree among all of the older Romans was distrust. However, at the moment, everyone watching the fight between Annabeth and Percy seemed only curious, impressed, or entertained. Suddenly the sparing match seemed to end in a draw as, laughing, Percy grabbed Annabeth around the waist and drew her into a tight embrace. She leaned up to kiss him before she realized Riptides point laid at her throat.

"This scary smart daughter of Athena once told me to never let your enemy distract you, no matter what."

She looked up at Percy, unfazed, "Really, Seaweed Brain?" She wrapped her arms around his waist, lacing her fingers together at the small of his back.

With a shiver, Percy lowered Riptide and pressed his lips to Annabeth's.

As the crowd around the smiling couple dispersed, Mica, Drew, and Kiki walked over to them, waiting for them to stop being gross. After a minute, the couple noticed their audience.

"Hey guys." Annabeth smiled at the kids she'd met earlier that day.

"Will you two help us we something?" Mica asked shyly, she was rather in awe of Annabeth after all of the stories Percy told about her once he'd regained most of his memories.

"Of course," Percy said as the five of them began walking back towards the main area of the Schola.

"There you guys are!" Hazel ran up to the small group, "Will you two come with me? We're having a bit of a meeting."

Annabeth took in Hazel's flushed face and the urgency in her eyes, "Of course. I'm sorry guys. Can we help you when we're done with the meeting?"

The three children looked at each other, not sure they could say no. Mica did not want to explain her plan in front of Hazel and didn't think she could say that without raising suspicion.

"Thanks guys," Percy took their silence as a yes, "we'll come find you guys as soon as we're free."

Annabeth threw an apologetic look over her shoulder as she and Percy hurried to follow Hazel into the woods.

"The olds always think their stuff is more important than ours." Kiki sighed kicking a clump of grass

"Well, what was the plan, anyway? Did I miss it?" Drew asked.

Kiki rolled her eyes at her brother, though she didn't mention that if Mica had explained 'their plan' she too had missed it.

"We need someone Bia will talk to. We need to IM her new friend, but we don't know his name or the name of the Greek place."

"Isn't he a kissing type of friend?"

"Bia has friends here, why do we need him?"

Mica held up her hand as she silenced the twins speaking over each other. She was so used to their antics that she could actually make out what each was saying even though they spoke over each other. "Kiki, maybe he's a kissing friend, but the olds were making such a big deal about her new friend, I think she'll talk to him. Drew, of all of her 'friends' here who is she going to talk to? What has happened the few times that we've seen Bia upset?"

Drew thought for a moment before his face lit up, "We get to stay up late and eat loads of cookies and chocolate and stuff!"

Mica fought the urge to smack him, "Well, yes, that's true, but that's not the point." What she didn't add was that she wouldn't be disappointed if Bia decided to make her chocolate cake before they managed to find away to make her not upset.

Drew frowned, realizing what Mica was getting at, "Everyone talks to Bi when something is wrong, doesn't she talk to any of the olds when she's sad? Gwen and Dakota and Reyna tried to talk to her today."

"I don't think so." Mica replied sadly thinking with all of their sneaking they would have noticed if Bia talked to anyone the few times she got upset.

"Maybe we can ask Bia to make us a dessert when she stops being sad." Kiki said, deciding that the best outcome would be their caretaker being happy and them still getting some sort of a sweet treat.

Bia's eyes were huge as she watched Reyna, Gwen, and Kota leave the Nidus. She put a hand over her mouth as she sat heavily. Did that really come out of her? She couldn't believe herself! Yelling and losing her temper like that. It wasn't like her. Sure, she had a temper, but that? That was beyond any outburst she'd ever had. They were only trying to help, trying to sort things out. Glancing around, Bia was sad that Lou had all of the Nati involved in one activity or another across the camp, at least the children would serve as a distraction and something to ease her heart. Though, she was glad none of them had been present to witness her explosion. What would they have thought? Especially, what would they think knowing she'd betrayed them all? That she could truly be held accountable for at least some of the injuries and deaths among their older brothers and sisters.

Bia roughly shook her head back and forth. She gained much of herself from her mother's influence. The main reason she was so well liked, even though she was so unsuited to this rough, Roman way of life, was an aspect of her mother's influence over her. People didn't like Bia, they didn't know Bia. They liked the way she was able to make them feel, just as Andy had wanted to use her to keep the Titan army calm and content. Part of her mother in her was her ability to calm people's emotions, her ability to help people through their problems and stresses. This was her gift, and sometimes she couldn't stand it, such as now, when she contrasted it with her inability to deal with her own problems. She was mamma, she was the one everyone went to, but she had no one to go to herself.

'Stupid,' the voice in her mind sounded an awful lot like Lou, 'You could have talked to the girls, they wanted to help, they would have listened. They care about you. Not who you are or what you do, and you kicked out without so much as the time of day!'

Again Bia gave her head a rough shake, it wasn't so simple as that. Yes, she acknowledged what she'd been unable to before, perhaps she had a few people she could talk to her if she could bring herself to do it. Even those few didn't know her so well as they thought, though, evidenced by the fact that they still had no idea that she'd lost her mortal family, hadn't known that she'd gone over to the Titans, and had no idea why. This, however, didn't seem the time or situation to exercise her ability, or inability as it were, to talk to people about her problems and emotions.

Why was this coming up now? There were other things to worry about without her having to deal with her past sins right at this moment. What was she supposed to say?

'Hey, Rey, Kota, Gwen, I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you earlier. I decided I'm going to work on talking to people when I'm upset, so here goes. I know we've got a lot going on, still dealing with the war now that it's finally over, the whole Jason/Percy getting switched thing this whole Gaea and the giants thing, working with the Greeks, how weird is all of this? I'm stressed, how are you doing? Yup, it's looking like we're all going to have to do our part to protect the world as we know it again. Speaking of, funny thing. Remember the last time we were busy stressing and fighting to protect the world? Well, see my mortal family, the whole lot of them, were inexplicably attacked and killed. Awful, I know. Thanks for your condolences, yes, I should have told you when it happened. Well, I sort of blamed my mom and the gods, I know, not terribly logical or daughter of Vesta-esque. There, it is though. I told Andy because I was totally heartbroken. That's when I found out he was secretly working with the Titans. That's when I decided I was going to, too. Somehow, at the time it made sense. Somehow, my helping the Titans was actually going to protect and help you all. I couldn't bear you all being hurt after having just lost my other family. Yea, I know. That makes zero sense looking back now, but hindsight is 20/20, I suppose. That's truly what I thought at the time, though. Then, of course, I realized his line about being able to protect you all and keep you safe by helping Kronos was crap, then I found out that Andy had had my family attacked so he could use my emotional distress to push me to the Titan side. Crazy, right? So, the person I choose to go to instead of the friends who had been there for me is the person that caused my pain. Anyway, that's when I tried to come back, and I helped in the end. Now, we're saving the world again and there is this big huge quest I'm supposed to be going on. Nice talk guys thanks. What? You can't trust me anymore and I can't go on the quest, what?'

Bia rolled her eyes at her long, crazy internal monologue. Yes, that's probably about how the conversation would go. Not that she could blame anyone. She should have come clean in the first place. They may have understood to some extent then. Everything was so crazy back then. Especially after the scene today though, what would happen.

"You've really gone and done it now, haven't you?" Lou walked into the Nidus, alone, interrupting her sisters reverie.

"You sicked them on me?"

"I did not sic anyone on anyone. Besides, I don't think they work that way." Lou wrapped her arms around her sister. "I'm worried, they worried. About you, about all of us. Under normal circumstances, you need to learn to open up. Now, what the heck is going on Bia?"

Bia turned into her sisters shoulder and cried and cried and cried. She let go of tears and feelings that she'd been holding for far too long.

Enjoy! I've a promise to myself, two more chaps by the end of the week!

Miette