Clarisse's POV

With control that had only come from years of training, and two years of psychotherapy, I dragged Chris over to the end of the room by the collar of his shirt. He staggered behind me, but followed obediently; with somewhat of a cross between horror and lost puppy look.

"Chris, what the hell were you thinking? I asked you for diapers, and you went out and got a nine year old girl! Not to mention what is probably hundreds of dollars' worth of baby crap!"

I turned to glare at him, usually he would fix his mistake and apologize- but for some reason Chris wanted to be hurt up today.

"What was I thinking? I was thinking of the baby, Clarisse! We don't know how to do this, we need the help! Don't worry about the stuff, as you should remember that my parents are filthy stinking' rich, I've handled it." I blinked several times at the son of Hermes that stood before me; the way he looked at me was different. No, it was how he used to look at me; like I was everything to him. During the last couple days we haven't had time to really think about how it would affect our relationship, and I wasn't into all that mushy stuff but I did care a great deal for him- and I didn't want to lose him.

"Alright fine, if you said you've handled it, you've handled it. I trust you." My intellect was currently at war with my anger and this wasn't unusual in the brain of Clarisse La rue. Was I being too mushy? Then again I cared enough for Chris to give him a few victories every now and then.

"Clarisse, be reasonable. Hold up... Did you just agree with me?" His eyebrow arched, and eyes bulged from their sockets looking almost like Scooby-doo when he was terrified, typical Chris basically.

"Yes, as much as hate to admit it, thank you for helping... but who in hell is the girl?!"

I stared feeling like I knew her. Her eyes looked so familiar, and when she smiled I felt like smiling too. It was creeping me out.

"Oh, that's Kat, she's a... she's a friend" Glancing over I saw Kat playing with Charles and for once he wasn't crying. Just a baby. I was warming up to this girl already; she had shut-up the wailer.

"Does her mother know she's hear, you can go to jail for child abduction; and isn't it just a bit weird that you magically found an unattended nine year old and then brought her home with you. Don't you think it's a bit too much of a coincidence?" placing my hands on my hips and looking superior. Even if I felt exhausted and defenceless.

"I, um, didn't think of that... but I'll get Kat to call her mom an tell her where she is!" I could see the wheels finally beginning to turn in that thick head of his. Chris ruffled his hair and reached for his emergency cell, I stiffened, I had been caught up in horrible situations because of his damn emergency phone. So obviously, I loathed the thing with a bitter hatred.

"But that doesn't change the fact that this is TOO perfect!" I whispered at him angrily, glancing over I saw Kat taking everything out of the plastic bags and placing them in the dirty, and very ugly chestnut coloured dresser.

"Maybe the Gods are looking out for Charles? And someone bent her will to go there? I don't know, but there is something about her... I feel like I should trust her." Chris turned and smiled brightly at the young girl, turning back to me he wore his usual sexy smirk I had been bent and twisted into loving. His fingers intertwined with mine, and I raised a sceptic brow. "We could always y'know, ask her" Chris reached with his other hand to ruffle his sandy blonde hair that resembled so much his father.

"Kat, can you answer me a question?" I asked, Kat continued to finish unpacking everything that had been in the bags, she glanced at me and smiled wide; it was so familiar and I knew it from somewhere, but It just wouldn't make a connection. "Shoot" She said, messing up Charles' thin blonde hair- I wondered where he had gotten the blonde from when I realized that his hair would eventually turn darker, like mine had.

"Why were you so eager to help Chris out in the store, and why were you there in the first place?" I asked, I never withheld when I asked questions. I liked everything to be laid out on the table for my opponent to see, so I couldn't be held accountable for not asking or telling them the whole truth.

Kat stared at the cobweb in the corner of the room as if it was the fulfilment of all her dreams and wishes, I wondered why she stared at it... Was she thinking about my question? Or was she just lost in her own freakish world? Just as suddenly she snapped out of her dream like state and stared back at me. Kat shrugged her shoulders.

"I dunno... I just had a feeling like I needed to be there, like it was important... The gods must have wanted me there for a reason, so I asked my mom to drop me off, and about after five minutes of waiting- Chris came." I raised another brow at her, she was mortal yet she followed the path that the gods had set for her. She hadn't ignored the voice or even told her mother she was hearing the voices again, but followed her instincts. Damn, at her age I would have KILLED for that power.

"So, here's a phone- Call your mum, tell her where you are... make sure to mention I didn't kidnap you, or try to do anything illegal!" Chris handed her the battered up red cell phone, while she made her call I paced back and forth in front of the large and uncomfortable bed that Chris and I had been sharing. I couldn't think, everything had changed far too quickly for my comfort, life had the upper hand in our battle at the moment.

Charles began to fuss and almost like a second instinct I was unaware of, I went to pick him up. I rocked him in my arms, and he began to fuss even more. What else could possibly be wrong with something so tiny?

"Your rocking him too hard, slow it down and make it more soothing and calming" my head snapped over to Kat approaching me, Chris' battered red phone in hand.

I raised my eyebrow but did what she said; he calmed a little but still continued to cry. I looked over to her, I was a desperate woman, and I didn't know how to raise a baby! I didn't know what he wanted, or how to properly wrap up a diaper!

"Maybe he's hungry, Chris and I bought some formula that's calm on newborn's tummy's, I'll be back in a jiff!" Kat zoomed off to one of the bags, and if I hadn't of been holding Charles, I would have face-palmed. I was following advice from a nine year old that said Tummy, and Jiff. We were doomed.

:..CXB..:

"IT'S NOT WORKING! HE'S NOT GOING TO TAKE IT!"

"You have no faith in yourself, babies can detect when you're nervous, just calm down and he'll take it!"

"I thought those were cats?"

"SHUT UP CHRIS AND HELP ME!" I shouted, Charles cried harder in my arms, I tried to soothe him but nothing was working.

"Let me take him, Clarisse" Chris said, I glared daggers at his skull. I had killed a Drakon! I could handle feeding a baby.

"It's fine. I've got him." I breathed in deeply; I tried to rid myself of all negative thoughts, even the ones that I was sure that my father put there for training. I was in my calm world, even Charles' crying stopped. I was calm.

I was standing in my childhood home, with my mother baking in the kitchen, and just her scent surrounding me. Slowly tiptoeing into the kitchen I saw my mother, a young beauty, before she had fallen into the drink. She smiled, then walking over to embrace me tightly, she smelled of gingersnaps and sugar. I found myself happy, and carefree, nothing could stop me here.

"Clarisse! Look!" I snapped open my eyes and I tried to figure out what Chris was so excited about.

I glanced down at baby Charles and my eyes widened, he had taken the bottle. He was sucking on that thing so hard I was sure it was about to pop off any second. I smiled down at the little thing; I had finally got him to stop crying.

When he was finished with his bottle, Kat showed both Chris and I how to properly burp him. Then she got us both to make a bottle, and what temperature is good for a baby.

I was slightly impressed with everything this little nine year old could do, not that I said anything, though. Her smile never faltered no matter how much Chris and I failed at what she was trying to teach us, though I was on edge, was she some sort of monster? A clever demon, perhaps? But as I looked at her face again, I couldn't help but see something was familiar.

After properly putting on his diaper, I thought maybe I could be a good Surrogate mother to Charles. Even with the odd's stacked against us -our age, the fact that it wasn't MY baby, school, daycare, money- Maybe, and just maybe, something good would come out of it.

I had decided to keep Charles on a trial basis, take him back to camp and see how different things would be. I couldn't help but think about what everyone would think of little baby Charles, or if Silena's reputation would be tainted because she got pregnant so young.

I felt warmth spread through me, it wasn't anger or rage. But faith, love, and compassion. Three feelings that I was very uncomfortable feeling; and something that I hadn't felt since I was a child. I felt like Silena was there with me, cheering me on. I knew she was watching from Elysium with Beckendorf, I hoped they were happy with my progress with Charles.

Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.