Piper POV

I fiddle with the clasp on my daughter's new camp-approved chestplate. She's thirteen. Going off to camp. She won't need much protection from me now. Cain waits at the fence, ready to escort her in. He waves to a group of kids ahead of him. Three boys and a girl. Suddenly, I'm unsure I want my little baby going there. But my hand is zapped away from her armor by a pink lightning ray, and my hand stings. Low-power, but enough to tell me it's time to let go.

Cain and Harmony run to the principia to get Harmony instated. They smiled and waved goodbye behind them. Even though we live so near, I don't know if I'll be seeing Harmony for a few months. I worry about her. She's such a typical Aphrodite girl… I don't know. I wonder about her sometimes.

Cain POV

I didn't like letting Harmony go in there. She's so sweet and little. I felt like I needed to protect her. But I let the thought float out of my head and met up with my friends. Morgan is my best friend. He's a son of Hecate, and between me and him, class at Santa Monica High School is a blast. We frequently cause all kinds of trouble there. He's got purple eyes like most of the Hecate kids, and he's pretty short.

Apple and Keiko, sons of Pomona, clapped me on the back.

"delivering your sister to the beast?" Keiko asked.

"Naw, man. She can handle herself. She's almost as powerful as a full demigod," I say. I glance at Caly, my total crush. She's so pretty. Her hair is that gorgeous chestnut and her eyes glow blue-green, like the eyes of her siblings in Apollo.

Sometimes I wonder if she's part Aphrodite, too, which makes it all gross cause… We'd be siblings. And I want to marry that girl someday.

"Yeah, she's a pretty cool kid," Caly agrees.

We head up to the temples.

Apple and Keiko turn off at the small little temple for Pomona, a laden feast that they add to every day. Morgan is suddenly gone from my side and he's forty feet up the hill. He looks back and snickers.

"they don't teach you that where you're from, huh Big Guy?" I laugh along and then playfully zap him a little.

That leaves just Caly and I walking to the top of the hill. She goes to worship Jupiter, too, because Zeus is her patron. Her dad wasn't supposed to have met her mom, a dryad. He especially wasn't supposed to get her pregnant, but he did. So here's Caly. But Zeus was so mad that when she was born, he took away her ability to sing and demanded that she become a gift to him. He hates her especially, but when she hangs out with me, it's okay, because I've told him how much I like her, and he refrains from giving her an electric shock whenever she plugs in a lamp or anything when I'm around.

We make our way up the hill in silence. Every bit of me is yelling at my mouth to say something, but I can't. I just clench and unclench my fists. She's perfectly at ease, or so it seems, touching the canopy of leaves above her head. I think of mom. Come on, Cain! You're a son of Aphrodite (or grandson, whatever) it's go time! But nothing happens. We trot up the hill. I'm eager to get there and have this nightmare be over.

Then there is a little pipsqueak irritating voice in the back of my head that tells me: "now or never! Do you like her or not? You are alone! No one's listening! If you screw up – ah, who cares? She wont tell anyone! She's too good for that. Go on, you sucker! Say something!"

And to my horror, my vocal chords unclench.

NO NO NO!

"hey, Caly… there's the fireworks thing tonight…." Idiot. I trail off, but come back with an attempt at strong, "And If you aren't going with anyone, you and I are such good friends, so maybe it, like, wont be awkward, y'know, if we…" and my voice dies out with a little cough.

We've come to a complete stop now. Caly's eyes boring into mine. Somehow, I think she understands. She giggles a little and leans in. Before I know what's happening, Caly Solace is kissing me.

"Yeah, Cain. I was wondering when you were going to ask."

Review! Also check out my other PJO fanfic - The Next Demigods:)

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