Maybe it was some weird law of nature; the Bennett siblings had supernatural beings playing a role in their lives, and may be... supernaturally altering their path. So maybe it was decreed that one of them was to have a hard life. Jamie guessed he wouldn't ever know.

"This is the best," Sophie commented, before jamming another forkful of Tuscan salad into her mouth.

Jamie's eyes travelled over the other patrons of the restaurant, and out of the frosted window, which offered a view of a part of Central Park. He was secretly glad Jack wasn't around; New York city snow, in his opinion, wasn't the type of stuff he wanted someone to wad up and throw at him.

Mrs. Bennett sat across the table, also in a salad-induced coma. Ethan ran around their table, clutching an Empire State Building doorman bear with a Statue of Liberty foam crown perched on his head. (Taking him to the ESB had almost been a mistake, he wouldn't stop asking the personnel if the lift went up to the 600th floor.) He stopped occasionally for a mouthful of potatoes from his mother. Jamie sat back in his chair, resembling a chewing statue.

"So, what's next on the itinerary? The Metropolitan Museum of Art? Will he even like that?" Jamie asked, jerking his head in Ethan's direction, as the boy clambered onto his seat and began to pretend he was driving a race car.

"Well, wherever you young people wanna go, I'm heading back to the hotel for some rest."

Just as Mrs. Bennett finished, there was a loud beep that made all of them jump. Sophie grabbed her bag off the seat next to her and began rummaging through it before pulling out her phone. As she scanned whatever text she had received, her eyes lit up.

"I believe I know where our next destination is," she said.

#

"... and that's the end of it!" Jamie ended the story for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Now don't tell me you want to hear it again."

"No, it's starting to get boring," Ethan remarked, swinging on Jamie's arm as the pair strolled through Central Park.

"I shan't ever tell it to you again, then. Can't risk making you bored with it," Jamie smirked. "I mean, 'Rise of the Guardians' is the last thing you should be bored with. Even if Pitch tries to force you."

"Why is his name 'Pitch', anyway?" asked Ethan.

"Here we go again."

"Is it because he 'pitch'ed' a fight with you and mama and your friends and the guardians?" the boy giggled slightly. "I read in the thuh-zo-rus..."

"Thesaurus?"

"Yes. Uncle Jamie, why do they call it a 'thuh-zo-rus'? It's a big book but it sounds like a type of dinosaur. Maybe they were calling it 'The Saurus'? Maybe they wanted to give it a dinosaur name because the thuh-zo-rus is so big, but tyrannosaurus is too long so they just call it 'The Saurus'..."

"Mhm-hm."

"... why do dinosaurs have 'saurus' at the back anyway? It sounds funny and not dinosaur-like at all. Zor-us? Soar-us? Maybe they meant us-soar? We soar? Maybe they were talking about the flying dinosaurs, but in the end they gave it to the land dinosaurs..."

Jamie massaged his temple. "Easterboy..."

"Easter? Uncle Jamie, why do they call it 'Easter'? Why do they call Bunny the 'Easter Bunny'? Is it because he came from the East? Wait, you told me he lives in Australia? Is that in the East? It's very east on the map mama showed me... so Bunny does come from the East! So maybe dinosaurs came from a place called 'Saurus'!"

"Great work, Easterboy, great work." Jamie grimaced. He would love to have a chat with the Guardian of Special Kids.

The boy didn't seem to hear. He released his grip on Jamie's arm and dashed around, climbing up some of the park benches and jumping off, making weird gusty sounds as he did. Despite the mini heart attacks he was getting, Jamie didn't bother to stop the boy. The kid probably had every reason to be happy; he and his mom had moved in with his uncle and grandmother. It had been hard, with Jamie facing charges as well for the little face-off.

"I call it the Battle of the Living Room," Jamie grinned. "Ow!" Pain shot through his bruised arm as Sophie gave it a hard slap.

"You'll joke about something like that?" She scowled.

"Well, John's in prison and Ethan's okay with moving in with me and mom, so shouldn't it be a cause for celebration?"

"Really? You'd celebrate a guy being thrown in jail? Anyway, John is feeling regretful. He promised me today that when he's free, he'll make it up to me and Ethan somehow."

Jamie glared at his sister incredulously. "You paid him a visit?" he half-yelled. Sophie gave him a look. "I mean, aren't you, like, afraid?"

Expecting his sister to slap him again for calling her a coward, Jamie was pretty surprised when she smirked slightly. "Well, it's hard to be afraid of someone when you knocked them out with just a frying pan. I feel like Rapunzel." She shook her head, and the smirk disappeared, much to Jamie's disappointment. "Anyway, it's not like I believe him, but..."

Jamie laid a hand on his sister's shoulder. "You know what you need? A nice, long break." Without waiting for a reply from Sophie, he pressed on. "We should go somewhere with lots of distractions, and attractions. Pack your bags, sweetheart, because we're going to New York."

Jamie settled down on a snow-crusted bench. "Easterboy, are you okay with staying with granny and me?" He couldn't help asking the hyperactive kid. "Do you ever... wish you could go back to living with your mom and dad?" Ethan's flinch at the mention of his father was visible.

"Granny is great. She tells me stories all the time, whenever you're not at home. And her stories are not just about the guardians, but many other things."

Jamie smiled. Of course. Those stories did not fail to amaze him and Sophie when they were younger, he didn't see why they would have a different effect on the boy. Well, save for the time they dabbled in Greek mythology. For the few following days, young Jamie had had a hard time getting out of his mind the image of Ouranos being castrated or that of Kronos eating his kids. "So having a granny who tells amazing stories, a mother who paints wonderfully and a goofy uncle who won't stop talking about the guardians, and having the guardians visit every so often... pretty sweet deal, eh?" he said.

Ethan grinned.

#

Cupcake often thought herself silly for having tried to be the bully.

She had been big, larger than the others, more intimidating. While Jamie and his friends talked fairy tales and Bigfoot, seeing school as another adventure, Cupcake had viewed it as a conquer-or-die situation. She had the upper hand. On the outside she had looked scary; Cupcake, the big meanie whom fairies like Jamie and his friends would never dare cross. She would have rather died than face the humiliation should they ever discover her passion for unicorns and dancing. The pink tutu almost gave it away, though. It was there to sort of help her remember herself, when she was in the process of intimidating the other kids. When she graduated and went to high school, before Jamie and the others did, being older, she couldn't help regretting she hadn't joined in the fun earlier.

Her thoughts wandered as she strolled into Lincoln Center, where she often went to the ballet. (Just because she never became a dancer didn't mean she had to give up entirely on dancing). Pippa had called her frequently but they hardly ever saw or heard from each other. Claude and Caleb prank-called once in a while, when both brothers reunited at home several times a year, and Monty, having graduated from the MIT, swore he was trying to cross-breed a robot and a dog. He was basically one of the reasons Pippa strongly discouraged her kids from playing video games.

Jamie and Sophie. Last she'd heard from them, Sophie had a three-year old son. Cupcake smirked. She was ready to bet he was his uncle's apprentice in fairytales. Cupcake made her way through a small crowd of tourists. She shot them a look, and for one moment, couldn't help imagining Jamie, Sophie and the others being a part of that crowd, turning and calling delightedly. After all, they were currently in New York, weren't they?

Cupcake whipped out her phone and sent a quick text.

#

"Ah, here comes the great god of belief in fairy tales," Cupcake mocked, as she and Sophie broke apart from their hug and turned to Jamie.

"I prefer guardian of belief in fairy tales, actually," Jamie responded, sticking out his tongue.

"Yeah, like Manny will ever pick you," Sophie cackled.

"Maybe Jack can vouch for him."

"Drop the subject, ladies," Jamie said, as they strolled into the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which Cupcake had recommended. Ethan hurried forwards.

"I wanna see the Greek and Roman section!" he squealed.

"Um, has grandma been telling you those Greek myths?" Sophie asked, horrified.

Ethan nodded incessantly. "Yes, and I wanna see the gods and the titans!"

Jamie and Sophie exchanged looks. "Nude statues. Good, or bad?" the sister asked.

"You're the artist, you tell me."

Sophie sighed.

#

What was it like to live forever? The question churned in Jamie's mind as he strolled among the statues.

The guardians were technically dead, Jamie knew that. He couldn't help wondering if it was better to stay dead than be resurrected as a guardian. It was like "Here, you're given a second shot at life, where in the beginning, you'll wish you could die of frustration because absolutely no one can see you, and also, you'll be bound to a lifetime of serving and protecting children! Oh, and if they stop believing, you'll fade. Sorry about that. Good luck!"

But still, Jamie shut his eyes for a moment and imagine what it would be like to be immortal. He would have all the time in the world. He could do anything, learn anything. He would live till he would stop living, and continue to merely exist...

"Jamie? Are you okay?"

Jamie's eyes flew open. Sophie's expression was a mix of concern and amusement. "Has Hypnos gotten to you?"

"Who was Hypnos again?"

"Never mind. Anyway, we were leaving."

#

"...why does Pitch wanna scare us kids? What do rabbits and eggs have in common? Uncle Jamie won't answer my questions..."

As Ethan engaged himself in a rather one-sided conversation with Cupcake, Jamie turned to his sister. Sophie was idly doodling the head of a rabbit on a paper napkin she had snagged from the restaurant earlier.

"Are you... feeling better?" Jamie asked, after much hesitation.

"I'm not the one who stood in front of a statue of Zeus with my eyes closed and muttering to myself," Sophie said, without stopping nor looking up.

"That's not... never mind."

Sophie dropped her pen. She took a deep breath. "This trip has been great, Jamie, for both me and Ethan. So, thanks. And don't you worry, John is a thing of my past." She gave her brother an unconvincing smile, and returned to the rabbit.

I have no idea what this was supposed to turn out to be, but it was partially written for the PJO fans who read this story as well. But no, he's not a demigod. XD