Brother

It was just a word, but it was a word that never applied to me. The way that this girl looked at me, hugged me, spoke to me. It just left me feeling elated, I didn't know how to respond and even though I just met her I wanted to tell her that I'd always be there for her and I love her because I never had any family before. New sister, pretty cool one too, don't scare her off already I scolded myself.

"Oh my gods, what is your favorite subject in school?" Annabeth had been firing off questions one after the other and this was the only one that broke into my thoughts for whatever reason.

"A while ago, it definitely would have been music" I told her, she looked disappointed. "But more recently I took a few classes on architecture, particularly modern, and really enjoyed it"

"Oh brother" Percy exhaled, and he wasn't the only one who seemed to foresee Annabeth's absolute overreaction to what was apparently just the answer she had been hoping for.

"NO WAY" my new sibling looked scarily ecstatic and even that seemed like an understatement describing her at the moment "We are going to design and plan and we can bunk together! Oh I bet you're a knife kind of guy- like me and . . ." Forget me scaring her off I assured myself this girl was sticking with me- for better or worse. Standing next to her, I could most certainly see common traits between us. Though my hair is brown, our eyes are the same stormy gray, and I'm a little taller. It was clear we had the same facial construction- if that makes any sense.

I was prepared to embrace this new part of my life, and hopefully it would be the only remaining part of it. But, unfortunately and my mind flirted with thoughts of an adventurous future, the present made itself much more important. I watched in awe as a pack of dogs strode the street right outside the coffee shop, right towards us. Well, that is if you would call those dogs I thought to myself, they were the size of a full-grown horse and wherever they stepped the ground would ignite and they left dying embers in their path. These beasts leapt through the window and knocked me to the ground, the biggest one decided to make me lunch. But as it was about to clamp it razor-sharp incisors into my throat it was gone with a loud shink! Followed by a soft poof and the last conscious sight I had was gold dust falling around me.

I looked around from the bed I laid in at the absolutely serene place I had found myself in. This has to be heaven I told myself "pretty unusual ending to a pathetic life" I said aloud. It was hard to focus on that with my surroundings, it looked like a medieval infirmary but so much cleaner. I heard footsteps and voices nearing as three individuals walked through the archway at the entrance. It was Annabeth and Percy with an extremely attractive blonde girl. "Are you guys dead too?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"Aw Andrew you aren't dead, you've just been out for a couple days." A couple days? Wow, wake-up call.

"How much do you remember?" Percy inquired with a worried look.

"Well" I began as I mentally retraced my steps from that eventful day. "I was having coffee with Leo and Callie, then you guys and some others showed up and the owl thing and Annabeth was talking about architecture." She blushed and looked away when I mentioned that, "then those huge fiery dogs attacked us." I tried to sit up woo buddy slow your roll I was blinded with pain in my head, I thought I was about to go back under. It must have been obvious that I wasn't exactly feeling up to par because the other girl offered my some weird fudgey-looking squares and said

"Eat some, it'll help with the pain." Well I wasn't going to disobey anyone who said they could diminish the pounding headache I had. So I took a bite and began to tear up because the taste brought back wonderful memories.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked me. I looked at her with glistening eyes and then wiped the salty droplets off of my face.

"There was this pretzel shop in the mall near some houses I had lived in." I started, "And I used to sit outside with a hat at my feet sitting on a bench playing guitar for those passing by." I smiled as I reminisced one of the few high points of my childhood. "One day I went there to play and it had been a while since I had been there. As I was setting up, an older man walked over to me and said 'where you been?'" I told the three of them who seemed very intrigued by my little story. "I told him that it was hard to come very often anymore because the foster homes I lived in for those past months were pretty far away from the mall. He introduced himself as Tom, the owner of the pretzel shop and made me an offer that I gladly accepted." I said with a smile, "He said 'if you keep on playing your songs, there will be a pretzel and lemonade with your name on it every day'." I finished

"Well then I bet I know what this will taste like" the blonde girl said as she handed me a shot glass with purple liquid inside. I examined it and the sipped it, then a smile crept onto my face, the lemonade.

"What is this stuff?" I asked in amazement.

"Ambrosia and nectar- the food and drink of the gods" she said, "I'm Summer by the way, I've been taking care of you" Summer said with a flash of her beautiful smile and a wink of her stunning blue eyes.