Hi! I really do realize it has been exactly 6 months and 1 day since I last updated this story and I apologize. I'm really, really, really, really, really, really sorry about that. I really, truly am! I didn't leave you! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had! I've been working really hard on this chapter for you since like May. By the way I named my character Callia before Big Brother started this season or I wouldn't have named her that.
Disclaimer- Do you really think I own PJO? Do you really? Well I can't because if I did I wouldn't be writing for fanfiction, now would I? No! I would be working to get the Son of Neptune book out in a reasonable amount of time. Not a whole freaking year later! Why won't it let me keep more than one exclaimation point!Imagine these letters are excaimation points!
Anyway! R&R!
Ryan ran to duck back behind the bleachers, but once again Kezi's hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. "How are you supposed to lead a quest if you're too afraid to even get a prophecy?" Kezi asked as Ryan glared up at her.
He took a deep breath and approached Rachel. "What do I need to know?"
Rachel's eyes turned green and the mist swirled out of her mouth.
Take three mixed-blood daughters
Go to the land with otters
Lose your direction and your way
Pray for help to live another day
Find the bird and the girl will maim
In the end, you'll clear your name
The smoke dissipated as Nico and Jason moved quickly to catch Rachel before she fell. Kezi paled.
Ryan turned to Isabell and Christi. "So, I guess I'll take you two, if you're okay with that." They nodded. He turned to Kezi. "You're a mixed-blood too, right?"
She laughed, but her face stayed ashen. "I'm thirty-three. I think I'll pass."
A puzzled look spread across Ryan's face. "Who else is there?"
"I'm a mixed-blood," Lena spoke up from where she had been standing quietly by a tree. "But I have college forms to fill out."
The look on Ryan's face spread to Isabell and Christi's faces. Lena decided to explain. "She's my mom." She pointed to Kezi. Kezi waved.
"Do you have any other daughters?" Ryan asked.
She sighed. "Two. You're twelve, right?" He nodded. "One is a week younger than Isabell." Isabell looked shocked.
"But I thought you were on the quest to save my mom when she was eight months pregnant with me. My dad would've never let another lady that pregnant on a quest!" She said.
Kezi sighed again and started to explain. "First, your father would have done anything to save her. Just ask Nico, he was there." Nico nodded. "Second, I was only four months pregnant and nobody but me knew until we were already searching."
"Then, if I was born right after my mom was found, why is she only a week younger than me?"
"I was getting to that." Kezi shifted on her feet. "When we were on Olympus a week later, Zeus tried to kill me and Hades kept me alive. Some of the other gods tried to help. With all of the godly power, Molly, my daughter, was born as a brain baby. Just like all of Athena's kids." She shrugged. Everyone looked at her expectantly. "I'll go call Athan." She sighed once more as she turned and walked towards the Big House.
The crowd dissipated soon after Kezi left. Lena walked away with Hades' youngest son, who also happened to be eighteen. Christi went off to tell her parents about the quest. Nico, Thalia, and Jason walked away muttering about Zeus. That left Ryan and Isabell staring stupidly at each other.
"I'm going to the archery range." Ryan muttered and walked off, leaving Isabell alone.
Isabell decided she'd go ask Kezi more questions about the quest that saved her mother. She ran up the steps and across the porch of the Big House. She moved quickly and quietly up to the third floor and to the partially closed door of the room where Kezi and Lena were staying.
Kezi paced the small room with her cell phone pressed to her ear. "Athan, I know we agreed that the kids shouldn't know about this. I came up with the idea, remember?"
"Athan! Just shut up and listen would you!" Kezi snapped then paused. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't want Molly going on this quest any more than you do. But she's in the prophecy and you know you can't mess with the fates." She shivered. "We've tried."
She nodded. "I'll ask them." She let out a small laugh and smiled. "See you." She pressed the end button and turned to face the door. She jumped and gasped. "You can move awfully quietly, can't you?" Kezi addressed Isabell, who was standing between the door and the wall. "What's up?"
Isabell sat at the Poseidon table long after dinner had ended and all the other campers had left. The sun had gone down and the moon was peeking out from behind the trees. She held her chin in one hand and drummed her other fingers against the table top. Percy stood and watched her from the Big House while Annabeth argued with Kezi and Chiron.
"How could you just let her go on some quest like that?" Annabeth was facing Kezi and starting to get dangerously close to her. "You were supposed to watch her and make sure nothing bad happened!"
Kezi held her ground. "I really don't want to mess with the fates. If you want to tell her she can't go, go ahead. She's your daughter after all."
"I can't just do that, Kezi! Someone else has to go in her place!" Annabeth threw up her hands and turned to Chiron. "Isn't there anybody else who can go?"
Chiron placed a hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "Annabeth, it's been twenty-eight years since you first arrived at this camp, a lot has changed. Among the few things that haven't changed is the importance of the prophecies. As far as we know there aren't any other mixed-bloods their age. I'm sorry."
"Kezi's a mixed-blood! Why can't you send her instead?"
Kezi's mouth fell open. "Do you really think I would let my own daughter go if I could go instead?"
"Then send Lena!"
"Why are you still arguing this?" Kezi was starting to lose her temper.
Percy turned to the two of them. "Would you two just shut up? There's no avoiding this quest! Just drop it!" They both glared at him but said nothing more.
Percy jumped over the railing around the porch and walked over to the dining pavilion. He slid onto the bench across the table from his daughter. "Dinner was over a long time ago."
"I know. I was just thinking." Isabell shifted and ran her finger along a crack in the table.
Percy shook his head at how similar his daughter was to her mother. "You should get some sleep so you can finish your training tomorrow." She nodded and stood up to go to the room in the Big House she was sharing with Christi.
Kezi sat in her room with her head in her hands. Suddenly, Nico appeared out of the shadows with two young girls. The younger one let go of her sister's hand and ran to Kezi. "Mommy, why did Daddy send us with that weird guy?"
Kezi smiled and pulled her youngest daughter into her lap. "Because, Callia, he's our friend and we needed to get you here quickly." She looked up at Molly who was eyeing Nico suspiciously. "Thank you, Nico."
Nico nodded and disappeared back into the shadows. Molly turned to her mother. "What's going on? I've never been here before and dad said something about my going on a 'quest'." Molly said the word quest as though it were an extremely contagious, deadly disease.
Kezi sighed. "Did you read those books I told you to?"
"You've told me to read a lot of books. Which ones are you talking about?"
"The ones your sister wanted you to read too. The Greek ones, Percy Jackson and the Olympians."
Molly nodded. "I loved them."
Kezi stood and balanced the six-year-old on her hip. She stepped over to the window and pulled the curtain to the side, exposing the Ω of cabins in the distance. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. You're standing on the third floor of the Big House."
Molly sucked in her breath. "No way." Kezi gave her daughters a rundown of everything going on and answered all of their questions as she walked them to their temporary room next door. She told a few stories from when she had gone on a quest as she helped Callia into her nightgown and tucked her in. She looked over to see Molly had fallen asleep in her street clothes on the other bed and smiled as she turned off the light and slipped out the door.
She walked back to her own room and pulled out a long box. Kezi gently lifted off the lid and set it aside. Slipping her hand in the box, she pulled out a celestial bronze sword in its sheath. She slipped it out of the sheath and turned it as it gleamed in the moonlight. She shook her head sadly and set it on a desk after resheathing it and putting the box away.
"Mom." A strangled sob came from behind Kezi. She stood up quickly and turned to see her oldest daughter cowering against the closed door.
"Len, what happened?" Kezi walked over and wrapped her arms around her daughter.
Lena buried her head in her mother's neck. "I'm sorry." She gulped.
Kezi held her daughter at arm's length and lifted her chin to look in her eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."
Lena shivered in the cold air outside the safety of her mother's eyes. "I'm pregnant." She sobbed and buried her face in her arms.
Kezi pulled her back into her arms. "Shh, baby, it'll be okay."
Lena sniffed. "Can you still call me that if I'm gonna have a baby?"
Kezi laughed softly. "I asked your father the same question when I was pregnant with you." Kezi stood and held her for a few minutes as she cried. Eventually, the tears slowed and Lena's breathing evened out. Kezi pulled her over to a bed where they sat down. "Who have you told?"
"Pello." Lena let out another sob.
"The son of Hades?" Kezi asked and her daughter nodded. "Is he the father?" Lena nodded again and started crying hard. "Shh. Honey, what'd he say?" Kezi asked as she hugged her again and stroked her arm.
"He told me I was being a whiney b**** and I should just deal with it or get over it." Lena choked and sputtered as Athan appeared in the room holding their youngest child, a little boy named Deo.
"Hey!" He said. "I know I'm late… What's going on?"
"Daddy." Lena sobbed into Kezi's shoulder. Kezi gave him a pitying, knowing look.
Athan walked over and placed the baby in the crib Kezi had set up in the corner. He walked back and sat on the other side of Lena. "What's going on?" He asked again, more nervously. Lena coughed and explained again. Athan took them both into his arms. Lena cried for a long time there.
She looked up and they let their arms down. Kezi brushed the hair out of her face, lovingly. Lena shivered. Athan stretched his arm across her shoulders. "Are you going to punish me?" She whispered.
Athan and Kezi looked at each other. "No." Athan said quickly.
Lena looked confused. "Really? But…"
"Do you want us to?" Athan looked into her eyes and tried to read her thoughts.
Kezi sighed for about the millionth time that day. "How can we legitimately punish you for something we did ourselves?"
There was a knock on the door and a hesitation before Percy stuck his head in the room. "Isabell said there was something going on in here."
Lena leapt to her feet when she saw Isabell behind Percy. "You listened in, you freak!" She lunged and started to run.
Kezi jumped up after her and grabbed her arm. They spun in a circle from the momentum. "You touch her and not only will you be punished for all of this, but I'll skin you alive." Kezi sat her daughter back on the bed and walked past Percy who had been watching his own daughter run down the steps and out the door.
Kezi ran after Isabell and caught her before she was ten feet from the front porch. "Isabell, stop!" Kezi held her by her wrist. Isabell kept her back to Kezi. "She's just scared. It's not your fault."
Isabell turned and cried into her cousin's shirt. "I don't want to go on the quest."
"It'll be fine." Kezi held her for another moment before sending her back up the stairs. Kezi looked around her before running towards the Hades cabin. She ran up to the door and pounded on it.
"Open up!" She yelled between knocks.
"What the hell do you want?" Nico asked as he pulled the door open. "Kezi," He started when he saw her. "Do you realize it's after midnight?"
"Oh, stop, you just got back from your honeymoon. It's still early for you." Nico blushed. "And I want to kill your brother."
Nico put his arm on the other side of the doorframe to keep her from walking in. "What'd he do?"
"Impregnated my daughter and told her, quote, 'She was being a whiney b**** and should just deal with it or get over it.'"
Nico whirled around and grabbed Pello by his shirt collar, pulling him out of his bed and giving him a hard shake. "You idiot! You don't do something like that!" Hades appeared in the room and disappeared with Pello.
The following day the quest attendees crammed as much training as they could into twelve hours. Chiron forced the adults, who had insisted on staying until the quest was over, into the cabins to save room in the Big House.
Kezi sat on a top bunk in the Poseidon cabin. Tyson had come to visit camp and was to sleep in the bunk beneath her. Percy would be staying in the bunk he'd slept in when he was still attending camp (the one across the room from Tyson.) A teenage son of Poseidon was sleeping above Percy. A mesh sided portable crib had been set up next to the fountain.
Kezi leaned back and rested her shoulders against the wall while keeping her feet dangling over the edge. The cool, blue satin sheets felt good against her hot skin. She looked out the window to the haze distorted hills in the distance. A shadow passed in front of the window.
Percy burst through the door and paused when he saw Kezi. "You know dinner started ten minutes ago, right?" he questioned her.
She nodded and stroked the sheets. "I'm very aware of that."
"Athan keeps looking over at the Poseidon table to see if you're there." Percy chuckled. "I think he wants to look for you himself but is afraid of offending Nico." Kezi gave him a puzzled look. "Nico won't shut up." Kezi nodded. "So, what have you been up to that's more important than eating?"
She sighed and pulled her feet up onto the bed. She sat cross legged with her hands in her lap. "Thinking."
"Uh oh, should I even ask?" Percy walked over to her and crossed his arms on the bed. He rested his chin on his arms, his eyes fixed on her.
"Considering nothing anyone can ever do can fix it, no."
"Well, so long as you're being overly dramatic, come eat." He stepped away from the bed.
She laughed as she jumped down from the bed. She walked over to the crib and pulled out her son. "What do you think little Deo? Should I listen to the tall half-wit?" The baby gurgled happily in his Mother's arms. "Okay, baby." She sat him on her hip and laughed at the amused look on Percy's face as she walked towards the door.
Kezi smiled at the relieved look on Athan's face when he saw her walk into the dining pavilion. She looked around to see her oldest daughters sitting next to each other at the Athena table. Annabeth and Isabell sat with them. Callia sat next to her father. Kezi knew that's exactly where the young, girly, daddy's girl would be sitting. Kezi and Percy sat down at the Poseidon table across from his brothers.
Chiron drummed his hoof on the ground next to the head table to gather everyone's attention. "Attention everyone!" he shouted over the voices. "Tomorrow morning we will be sending out the first quest in the last five years. It will also be the first time we've ever sent a mixed-blood camper."
Someone in the crowd interrupted Chiron with a high pitched yell. "What about the last quest to save Annabeth? They had three mixed-bloods too!"
Chiron glanced over to Kezi for an explanation. She handed Deo to Percy and stood up. "We did have three mixed-bloods. The difference being that none of us were campers at the time. I was the youngest mixed-blood at twenty-one."
A different voice shouted from the crowd. "I thought all half-bloods had to be claimed by the time they were thirteen and brought to camp."
"Half-bloods must. It's for their safety. Mixed-bloods don't have a scent. Many never even know they have any relation to the gods."
"Thank you, Kezi." Chiron drew attention back to himself as Kezi nodded and took her seat and son once again. "Tonight we will be trying something new. We will play a game of baseball. I expect everyone to play." Groans arose from the Aphrodite table. "Swinging a baseball bat can help you in swinging a sword. You never know when you'll need to defend yourselves."
"But it's baseball! Baseball sucks!" One of the Ares campers stood up on the table to protest. Clarisse quickly pulled him back into his seat.
"Can we play, Chiron?" Chris shouted from the Hermes table.
"Camp alumni are requested to play as well." A few 'all rights' arose from the guys as they reached to give each other high fives. Kezi laughed. Annabeth scowled.
The cabins divided up into two teams. The blue team consisted of the alumni (Percy, Nico, Chris, Athan, Kezi, and even Rachel), and the Athena, Hades, Poseidon, Ares, Hermes, and minor goddess's cabins. The red team had the Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, and minor god's cabins. The blue team was to bat first.
Percy stepped up to the plate. He barely made it to first. Nico struck out. Chris and Athan each got one base. Kezi hit the ball into the outfield with a single swing. She laughed as she ran around all the bases and the other team searched for the ball in the tall grasses. Rachel shrieked every time the ball came near her and struck out. The game continued on to the eleventh inning. The blue team won 16-12.
The following morning brought stress to many… and even pain to some.
Kezi laughed hysterically as Percy attempted to get out of bed. She jumped down from her bunk(ignoring the ladder once again) and landed gracefully on her feet, laughing until she couldn't breathe and then laughing some more. She was still laughing when Annabeth walked in.
"What's so funny?" Annabeth stretched and looked at Kezi like she was insane.
"Percy's so out of shape he needed help out of bed this morning." Kezi struggled to control her laughter while she spoke.
Annabeth joined her. "Seriously, Perc? The game was that bad?"
"It's not like you two are as in shape as you were twelve years ago!" Percy snapped.
"You're right. I'm not as clumsy and built up." Kezi laughed again. "I'm gonna sit at the Hades table so I can control myself enough to eat." Kezi looked at Percy again after balancing Deo on her hip and cracked up.
Kezi still snickered every time she looked at Percy when they all stood around Thalia's Pine to say goodbye. She hugged Molly. "Don't do anything stupid, okay?"
Molly pulled away and rolled her eyes. "Lena does stupid things, Mom, not me."
Kezi smiled through tears. "I know."
Isabell struggled out of her mother's arms. "Mom, stop! You went on a quest when you were twelve. I'll be fine."
"Annabeth, she's a smart kid, let her go." Percy physically unwrapped Annabeth's arms and held her.
Christi and Ryan stood waiting for Isabell and Molly just inside the border. Together the young group walked down the hill to the awaiting van. Isabell turned back at the bottom of the hill and waved.
Please review! I swear on the River Styx I'll love you if you review! (Just don't expect anything more than the occasional I love you in an author's note.) I would commit to updating soon but it seems every time I do it takes me forever to think of something to write.
BTW: I already love NiniC, iluvpercabeth, redandwhitetigers, and, last but certainly not least, my friend, Poodlebrain for leaving many, many reviews each!
BTW 2: This is my longest chapter in this story (and possibly overall... Nope, just checked. Not Again has a chapter that is 4,001 words long)!
BTW 3:My dearest Poodlebrain, you must have the brain of a poodle to think that our lovely Mr. Riordan would just conveniently leave out that Rachel ran towards Kronos and wasted valuable time to retrieve a simple hairbrush! Of course she got a new one! (LOL!)
I wish you many useful thoughts as I bid you adieu! (Review!)