Chapter Fourteen

Jane

I didn't even want to go to this stupid party. I don't know how Artemis found out about it, but when she insisted that it would be the perfect opportunity to immerse myself into high school society, I knew I couldn't say no, not without completely disobeying her orders and ruining my binds to the hunters, even Fabio was looking at me expecting, I swear to the gods, when antelopes start pressuring you: you know your life is messed up.

I've never liked parties, even when I was in Phoenix, I was always dragged along, and even then, I wasn't much of an active participator. The only one who could even get me to talk at parties was… Zach, but that was only brief exchanges, mostly just murmured to him. It isn't that I'm anti social, or at least I wasn't, but the idea of standing in a room with a bunch of teenagers that are practically strangers, most of whom are under the influence of one thing or another, never really appealed to me.

After joining the hunters, I can't say my opinion on parties has changed. Thalia once told me a about a shelter for Half Bloods out in New York, where apparently the parties would get pretty crazy. Not that Thalia would ever take part in such immature, silly behavior. However, sometimes I have to wonder if she ever did get a little crazy and make stupid decisions. I've had mine, they just weren't at a party.

The parties weren't the only stories Thalia told, she mentioned once, that most of the time, your godly parent classified where you were in the ranks of society. That doesn't make much sense to me, but apparently that's how it is. Recently, a son of Poseidon did a lot to help with the discrimination, but I sure as Hades know that I wouldn't want to get anywhere near there, haven or not, not with my parentage. With the Hunter's it doesn't even matter, we serve Artemis first and foremost, quite a few of us aren't even demigods, so it's just not important anymore.

Now sitting in the car with Anna, after asking for a ride, I can't help but send out a silent prayer to get this over with quicker. She seemed skeptical at first over the fact that I actually wanted to go, even after I confirmed that she did, in fact, plan on going. She said something about how she wouldn't miss this party if she were tied to a truck going in the opposite direction. I was more than a little surprised that she was so passionate about a party. I wouldn't have pictured her as a party girl.

When we pull up to the address (which happens to be just a little smaller than Zach's old place), I'm wondering if maybe her determination had nothing to do with the party. She immediately migrates to the corner after some chatting with different girls. She introduces me to each girl of course, smiling politely. After each girl leaves, most people would start listing off annoying traits about them, but Anna doesn't, and I have to wonder if she has a mean bone in her body. We apparently make it to our destination, and she picks up a water bottle, glances at it, probably to be sure it's sealed, before pouring it into an empty red solo cup. I raise an eyebrow and she takes a sip before answering my wordless question.

"People tend not to shove a beer in your hand if you already look like your drinking." She explains, and I nod before mirroring her actions. "So how'd you meet Marcus?" She asks, and I almost spit out my water.

"He's in some of my classes." I explain, though that doesn't seem to even come close to covering the whatever it is that's going on between us. I feel a little blush gathering on my cheeks at that thought. How decidedly misleading that thought is. If Artemis heard that Marcus would end up as a antelope. "What's your connection with him?" I ask, hurrying to divert the attention from me. She seems distracted for a moment as she glances over at the door. Her expression drops and she looks as if someone just killed her dog or something.

"Oh, yeah... um Marcus, yeah… we've been friends since we were little," She grins a little bit. "I'm his honorary older sister, despite what he'll say about me being the younger sibling." She's once again back to regular, perky, Anna, almost making me forget about the little glitch there. I stash it away in the back of my mind, reminding myself that Anna very easily could be who I'm looking for.

"Are there any biological siblings in the mix?" I ask her, trying to probe without actually probing. I never had to be this secretive before this crazy quest, and I don't think I like it.

"I've got an older sister, but Marcus is an only child." She looks at me for a moment, eyeing me as if wondering whether I've got something up my sleeve. I try to train my features into the most innocent expression I can muster, and have to wonder if I'd trust myself. Anna seems to come to a different conclusion than I would and continues. "His family situation is kind of messed up, I wouldn't mention it if I were you." That piques my interest, but not enough for anything conclusive. Zach has me much more worried, he was adopted and he even told me that his parents let it slip that one biological parent was never in the picture: which isn't uncommon when it comes to demigods. Let's just hope I have nothing to be suspicious of.

"Families are rough. " The words seem to have their own independent thought and purpose, because I certainly didn't mean to say them aloud. Though I know they're very true, especially when I consider my family, I mean how do you deal with a family that "when I was your age" was millennia ago?

Zach

I'm in the car, driving to the party when that song comes on, and my hands clench on the wheel in a death grip. I freeze for a moment trying to decide what my reaction means. A few weeks ago, I was able to listen to the same song with a smile on my face and even hum along to the tune. The song had always conjured happy memories, and the occasional bittersweet ones, but I haven't felt this … unsettled since we broke up. Maybe it's just because I saw her again, and that things still weren't right, despite my efforts.

Maybe I'm just confrontational, but I can't help the itch to just want to get Jane to talk to me, just once, and try if not to make things right, just make things better. The next chance I get, I'm going to see if I can talk things out with her. That worked so well before. I mentally quip remind myself not to let her get in a punching distance of me.

A/N: Sorry for the recent delays in updating my schedule should be picking up shortly.