AN: Hey ya'll, I'm back! You know, after almost a week or so... But here's the next chap, which I'm sure you've all been dying to have. A little bit of the Half-bloods and Pepper.

Disclaimer: I'm gonna stop doing these one of these days. But in the mean time, I couldn't have written PJO, cause I would've made myself a character and then made Nico my boyfriend... And Tony and Steve would get along a lot better...

Annabeth was curled up against her boyfriend's side in the booth seat, Percy eating sausage and his girlfriend holding peperoni. Rachel sat next to them, nibbling on her own slice of peperoni pizza. Across from them, Thalia and Nico were inhaling their third cheese pizza, almost literally. Grover was slowly eating another piece of vegi pizza. Pepper sat on a chair on the end of the table. Her plate was empty. Laughter echoed around the table. Percy was laughing, Grover was grinning, and Rachel was chuckling. After seeing Percy so down ever since she'd met him, she couldn't help but laugh whenever he did. His friends were amazing at cheering him up. Jokes that flew right over Pepper's head had been cracking him up for over half-an-hour.

Now however, they seemed to have run out of jokes, glancing at Pepper every time they began. Grover, Nico and Percy seemed to be rather uncomfortable with her sitting on their dinner, and couldn't help but glance at her every time a joke was cracked, making sure nothing seemed wrong. The girls were more subtle with their discomfort. They only glanced at her when the jokes seemed really, really sensitive, or when someone stopped mid-sentence.

Pepper tried to ignore the awkward silence that followed the laughter. The buzzing of the other visitors talking amongst themselves made the quiet all the more unbearable. Then, almost suddenly, Percy's eye caught something. He stared out the window for a moment, before turning to slide out.

"Excuse," he said, "Nature calls." Pepper chuckled slightly, but watched him walk off uncertainly. He walked past a side exit to the building and slipped into the bathrooms. She turned her attention back to the others. Grover was lightly sniffing the air.

"Something wrong, Grover?" she asked. The boy was shaking his head almost instantly.

"Nope! Nothing wrong. Just, uh, you know, smelling the pizza," he offered lamely. Thalia rolled her eyes.

"Something is very wrong with you G-man," she muttered. Nico glanced out the window, before seizing the opportunity to smirk at the black haired girl.

"You're even worse, Pinecone Face," he replied. His eyes vaguely twitched in direction of the window. Pepper couldn't quite read his expression, but it seemed to be saying something to Thalia. The girl twitched her head in the vaguest nod of acknowledgment. She stood up in her seat, glaring at the boy beside her.

"You really wanna go, Death Breath?" she growled.

"Whenever you're ready!" he snapped. Annabeth groaned, her eyes switching from the window over to her two friends.

"Can we not go there?" she asked. Pepper glanced out the window, looking for what caught the kids attention. She found it quickly.

Percy stood in a nearby alley, face-to-face with a tall, muscular man. She could only see a black shadow where the man stood, unable to make out what color his hair was, or even the color of his skin and clothing because of the long shadows of twilight. The boy seemed to get aggravated, pointing down the alley angrily. The stranger swung a left hook at him. Percy dropped to a crouch, swiping the man's feet from beneath him. He fell and the boy stood to move away from him. The stranger grabbed his ankle and yanked him down to the ground. Percy turned to punch him, but the man jumped on top of him. The two began to wrestle briefly. The stranger was obviously stronger, over-powering his slighter built opponent. But Percy was as hard to hold onto as an eel. He slipped through the man's grasp like water. The first chance he got, the boy was on his feet and moving into the shadows of the alley. The man stood and grabbed a nearby trashcan, which happened to be one of the restaurant-style garbage disposal cans, and hurled it at the boy. The smaller figure dove to the side. The man started forward, but tripped on the edge of the thrown garbage bin. When he stood and came at him, Percy swung a baseball bat he hadn't been holding milliseconds before and swung it at the man's head. It smacked it with an inaudible shwak! The head flew from the body, both falling into the deep shadows of the alley. The boy seemed to sigh and lean against the brick wall of the alley. The baseball bat vanished as suddenly as it had appeared.

Pepper watched as her foster son walked back to the restaurant and ducked inside. Golden powder glittered in his hair and on his clothes. She glanced away as Percy glanced around him, watching him in her peripheral vision. She watched him head into the bathroom.

Percy emerged, his hair slightly wet, but free of golden glitter, and twirling a cheap ballpoint pen in his hand. Rachel stood and let him in. He slipped back into the corner and let Annabeth curl up against him again.

"How'd it… Seaweed Brain? … Problem?" Pepper heard the girl whisper in her boyfriend's ear. Percy lightly shook his head.

"... Nothing... handle..." He shook his head, a small disappointed smile on his face. "Too easy..." Fear pricked at Pepper's heart. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring Percy and Nico into the tower. She'd just watched her eldest foster son kill a man. 'Who attacked him!' part of her mind argued. 'He swung the bat hard enough to decapitate the man!' another shouted in reply.

"-you okay?" Rachel was asked her. "Pepper?" The woman blinked, coming back to reality and dragging her gaze away from Percy. The boy stared at her, slightly confused.

"Yeah, yeah, just, uh, thinking. That's all," she assured them. Thalia and Nico shrugged, going back to eating, their previous argument apparently forgotten. Pepper glanced at the other kids. Something was bothering her, nagging her at the back of her mind, but she couldn't remember what it was. Suddenly, as if a light bulb went off, she remembered.

"So, Percy, Nico," she started, "How'd you two meet?" The two boys froze eating. They glanced at each other nervously.

"…" Nico didn't reply, instantly shoving another bite of food into his mouth to avoid the question. Percy, however, had just finished his piece.

"How we met? Oh, uh, well, we met at Nico's school," he replied after a moments hesitation. The other boy instantly nodded agreement, a little too enthusiastically.

"What were you doing at Nico's school?" the woman asked.

"Well, we were... visiting Grover, who also went to Nico's school."

" 'We?' " she asked. "I thought it was just you."

"No, see, uh... Annabeth and Thalia went with me. We're all old friends of his, so we went to visit him for Christmas break," he said, glancing over at the two mentioned. They nodded along.

"Yup," Thalia continued. "We went to see him because he wasn't having too much luck making friends."

"And then we met Nico," Annabeth added.

"And after that, we just kinda stayed in touch," Percy finished. Everyone but Rachel nodded.

"I was saved that experience," she said when she noticed Pepper's questioning glance. The woman nodded in response. The sun had set, leaving no light to come in through the window. Nico and Percy glanced at each other and nodded slightly. Annabeth and Rachel noticed this exchange, glancing at each one another.

"Well," Nico began.

"This has been fun," Percy continued.

"But it's time we got going," his friend concluded. The others seemed to shrug and move to stand up. Thalia shoved the last half slice of pizza from her hand into her mouth.

"Well, I'm headed home," she said. "Lady A will be wondering what I'm up to."

"Same thing with us," Annabeth added, giving Percy one last hug. "You know how Mr. D is if we break curfew." She walked over and grabbed Grover by the hand and pulled him slightly towards the door, following Thalia.

"And my parents will be looking for me by now," Rachel added, following after them. She stopped briefly next to Percy. Setting a hand on his arm, she leaned in and whispered into his ear, "You really, really need to come over at some point. Soon. We need to talk." As an after thought she added, "Be careful at the fountain. Watch your back." And with that, she turned and walked out the door after the others. Percy and Nico glanced at each other, before heading after them.

"Just where d'ya think you're going?" Pepper asked them. They glanced at each other.

"The cemetery," they both replied solemnly, before continuing out of the restaurant.

"Will you need a ride?" she called after them.

There was no reply.

Pepper sighed. "Guess you're going home alone," she muttered to herself.

Percy and Nico walked only to the alley, before slipping into the shadows.

"Ready?" Nico asked, taking his cousin's hand. The other boy nodded, allowing himself to be pulled into the shadows and swallowed by the darkness. They both appeared, seconds later, in a deserted park. A deep, empty fountain sat before them. Holding out his hand, Nico glanced meaningfully at his cousin, who handed him a ten. The boy nodded vaguely, before vanishing just as he had before. Percy sat down to wait for his cousin's return. He couldn't help but smile sadly. Tonight was the night. He was gonna ask her. He was gonna ask his mom how she really felt. Would she really be okay with him having a new mom and dad? Even just a new foster mom and dad? Was he abandoning her by doing this? Was he replacing her with Pepper?

Thoughts filled his head and a frown replaced his sad smile. Questions that hadn't occurred to him bubbled to the surface of his thoughts. Doubts about his own loyalty to his mom. Doubts about his dreams. Doubts about his actions, about his new life.

"You need to stop doubting yourself before I shove an arrow up your ace!" he could practically hear Thalia snap. He sighed, wishing for Nico to return so they could summon her already.

Natasha's Pov:

I sat in a tree near the fountain, waiting for the boys to arrive. I was startled when they walked out of a tree. 'No,' I told myself. 'Not out of a tree, out of a tree's shadow. They were hidden by the trees, that's all.' I couldn't bring myself to believe it. The older boy handed the younger one, and he turned back the way they'd come. The older one, Percy, sat down on the ground, a small smile appearing on his face. I couldn't help but notice how sad a smile it was. Within seconds the smile changed to an uncertain frown. He seemed to be contemplating something serious. I shrugged it off and sat back, watching him, as I waited for the other boy, Nico, to return.

It wasn't too long in coming. Percy stood quickly when he saw his friend. The younger boy carried a six pack of coke and three or four, possibly more, McDonald's happy meals. I frowned. Why did they need those?

The younger boy nodded to his friend, who snapped his fingers. A small gust of wind blew through the clearing. Even from a hundred yards away, I could still feel it. Percy's voice carried through the entire clearing, reaching my ears easily.

"All you'll see here is two boys have a friendly picnic," he demanded. A brain numbing fog crept through my mind, pushing all thoughts except of two boys having a picnic away. "There is nothing wrong with this," it whispered. "They're just enjoying a picnic."

I watched, only slightly paying attention as the younger boy poured the six pack into the fountain, then added the happy meals. "Nothing's wrong here," the fog whispered soothingly. "You only see the boys having a picnic." For a moment, I wasn't sure if I saw anything. I completely forgot. I forgot what I was doing here, I forgot what the boys had done, I only remembered seeing two boys on a picnic by the empty fountain.

Then the chanting started. I shook my head and cleared it. The fog receded slightly, but I could still feel it lurking at the back of my mind, whispering about boys and picnics. The chanting doesn't sound English, but I can't name the language. It was slightly familiar and I felt I should know it, but I couldn't pin it down. It sounds old, ancient even. Nico is chanting, his arms raised, as he stands by the fountain. Coke had filled the fountain, b

ubbling and frothing at the edges.

I watched in disbelief as mist and fog filled the park. Forms began to appear, barely visible to me. Percy stepped forward, his expression one of both sadness and happiness. He almost even relieved. He stepped toward one of the forms, but Nico stopped him. The chanting didn't falter, but it was clear the older boy wasn't allowed near the forms, yet. Percy nodded understanding. Suddenly, the chanting stops. One form approached them, and bent down, sipping the coke. The misty form took shape, turning into a woman in her mid-forties with brown hair and brown eyes. She looked soft and kind. She stood and looked at the two boys across the fountain from her.

I barely noticed the tears that began to streak down Percy's cheeks. It took me a moment to realize, she was his mother. Or at least a likeness to her. The boys began to talk to her, to ask her questions I couldn't quite hear. I caught the occasional piece. Most of them went something like:

"Okay... Pepper and Tony... Betrayed..." Percy asked.

"... Go.. life... father... want..." the woman replied.

"Thanks... Love... Try..."

"Just... happy... living... life... proud..."

They continued to talk for a while, until the forms began to fade. Nico touched Percy's arm.

"... Finish... power... go," I caught pieces of the broken sentence. The older boy nodded, waving sadly at his mother. He said something, but I couldn't hear him.

Slowly, the forms vanished into the mist. And shortly after that, the foggy mist began to fade. Nico swayed in place, before falling into Percy's waiting hold. The older boy smiled slightly at the small figure in his grasp.

"Don't worry... tower," I heard him tell the boy. And like that, the two walked into the woods.

I sat back against the tree I sat in, shell shocked. The fog pushed at my mind, insisting that I'd never seen that, but I knew otherwise. No matter what anyone told me, I knew I'd just seen two boys try to summon the dead. And it looked like it worked. 'Oh, Fury is so gonna kick outta this,' I thought.

AN: And that's a wrap! Hope ya'll liked it. I felt like it took me forever to just get this little bit. I wanted it to be longer... but life is. And now, to take care of responding to reviews. In case anyone is wondering why I'm responding to you, not the guests, in the AN's it's cause I don't trust myself to be able to respond to your review any other way and still remember ya'll.

Guest Reviews:

JarvisAI: I'll try to keep your names in mind, so I can know on my own. I'm glad you like the concept. I hate those kind of stories too. I refuse to write a story where the half-bloods just kinda announce they're half-bloods. Why not just shout it in front of a camera man rather than tell Tony? I'm glad! I try very hard to be unique! In deed, in deed. Only time will tell why Loki is interested in our favorite son of the sea god, but I will explain... eventually. Yeah, I was wondering whether to destroy the pizza hut or not the entire chapter. You did succeed in being sarcastic but funny. It worked.

Fortflames12: I thank you very much for all eleven of your wonderfully positive reviews! I love it when people review my story! I actually prefer reviews to favorites or follows. Yes, I am a girl.

Guest: I'm glad you like it!

Actual Users:

Saphira Nograd: I'm glad you think I did a good job with Natasha! I thought she was kinda hard to write. I kept saying "And she thought" rather than "And I thought". It was crazy. I had to redo the whole part in first person after writing it in third person.

Glossette: I liked that part too!

Protagonist Of Life: My mom thought it was funny too.

Willowsoar: I'll take that as a compliment ;)

monkeybaby: I am American, so thank you. I'm glad you liked it.

My Darkest Night: I totally forgot I had to do that... I kept thinking "Oh, I should have him do this after they meet" and "Oh, he should do this in a dream" But I never stopped to think about them meeting... Thanks for reminding me! I'm glad you're happy to see an update, so am I!

nobody0901: I'm glad you like my writing style! Thank you, thank you, the cookie was very good!

letskilloctevian: First off, I love your user name! Thalia found out that Tony practically knew who she was and what not. Other than that, I kinda needed a name that vaguely fit the chapter. I don't think S.H.I.E.L.D will do either, but Fury doesn't like to listen to a lowly author like myself. So he might do one of those things.

ObsessedWithPercyJackson: I totally understand getting caught up and not review until the last chapter. I do the same thing. I was talking about people that favorite or follow and don't review even after several chapters. I'll try to work some on the typos. Although, one question for you, who do the half-bloods keep their secrets from? I thought they just kinda used the mist to make no one remember the stuff that happened, and let the gods and Chiron take it from there. Plus, S.H.I.E.L.D is S.H.I.E.L.D. They practically know everything anyway.

devilchild1000: I'm glad it's been great! Here's more!

Mathematical-candy-panda: Yeah, I guess I really do have a lot of reviews, at least fromm what I've been told... But I mean, I have guests that review and stuff like that, yet I have way more registered followers than I do reviews. My point is that if you're gonna take the time to follow, and check your e-mail every day or so to see if I've updated, you should at least put in a few measly words and hit the send button. I totally see your point on writer's block. I think I'm over it now, just got a little stuck with the half-bloods. I don't think you're review was too long. I prefer long reviews actually!

Black Shadow Tigress: I'm glad you like this! I hope you liked what happened next.

I'll stop writing before I make the AN's longer than the chapter. See ya'll later!

-RADyo