Chapter Seven: It Must Run in the Family

The day couldn't have ended soon enough. After walking around camp during training sessions had been hard, well, harder than usual. It seemed that no matter where I went (the arena, the climbing wall, the archery range, the bathroom even!) the murmurs and stares followed. It didn't matter that I had others around me who everyone else liked, (Percy, because who didn't like him? Annabeth was always treated with respect among most campers. Gwen was someone you couldn't help but get along with. Pollux was a person that most people liked, but never made an effort other than saying hello. And Nick who had most girls here falling over themselves and guys secretly wishing they could be him.) no one tried to hide or stop their mutterings. At first I thought they didn't stop because they thought I couldn't hear them, but when a couple of Demeter kids got louder near me was when I knew they did it because they knew I could hear them. And here I thought high school was the only place I would ever have to deal with this crap.

Our little group had been on its way to dinner and just thinking about how hard it would be to sit there and having to listen to more mutterings ruined my appetite. I stopped walking and hung back as they continued forwards, until Pollux noticed my halt.

"Are you coming?"
I shook my head. "Not hungry. I think I'll turn in early tonight. See you guys tomorrow and I'll see you back at the cabin." I told them before swiftly turning on my heel and leaving. Even from this distance I felt a few eyes from the Mess Hall on my retreating back, the noise grew louder. Great, now they think I'm a coward for running. Which I'm totally not! I just know how to pick my battles and this one wasn't worth the effort tonight after such a draining day.

Because everyone else was eating my walk through the camp was peaceful and I could actually enjoy the falling evening as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky. Back home my mom and I would sit out on the porch swing and watch the day turn into night, talking about everything and nothing at all. Most of the time we would drink coco and munch on some delicious treat that we both claimed we didn't need but ate them with smiles anyway. She would tell me stories of her growing up a wild child and how she was so happy to have a kid like me. And I would just sit there and wonder how I managed to get so lucky as to have a mom like her, not that I would ever say it out loud. Our lives weren't some sappy movie. I miss those times most of all. Especially at times like this when just talking to her could make me feel better.

I got to the cabin quickly enough and after taking another breath of evening air and went inside. Only to find a certain leopard printed shirt wearing god standing by my bookshelf staring at the many pictures that sat on top. Following his gaze I noticed he was looking at an older picture of mom and me taken when I was nine. We had gone to Disney World and gotten matching Minnie Mouse ears, which we were wearing while posing for the shot in question. I remembered that day well, it was one of the best days of my life. I had the biggest grin as we stood in front of the water show display and Goofy took our picture. Most teenagers would be embarrassed about such a picture and heaven forbid anyone ever actually saw it. But I didn't mind Pollux looking at it or Percy, who told me about his relationship with his mom was just as close. And Mr. D was hardly a person that I felt a need to hide such things from.

"Hi." Because what else could I say?

He didn't say hi back, but instead picked up another picture, one that rested at the far end of the shelf. "The Golden Gate Bridge?"

Not sure where this was going (like so many of our talks) I simply nodded even though he couldn't see it. "Yep, we went there for mom's thirty-third birthday. She said she always wanted to see San Francisco."

Putting the picture back down he turned to me. "You should be careful around that area, there are many more monsters in those parts. Better yet stay away from the city all together if you can."

He didn't have to tell me about the monsters, I found out the hard way. Oh boy, didn't that just make mom's special day perfect? We had been sitting outside a cute little cafe downtown when suddenly I saw a herd of monsters coming straight for me. I got up and ran quickly away, mom called out after me but I wouldn't stop. Leading them away had been hard especially since I didn't have a weapon with me and I really had no desire to fight them anyway. Eventually I got back to our hotel room, four hours later, and mom grabbed me into a hug that I thought was going to break my spine in half. She cried, I told her it was fine, but she wouldn't let me out of her sight as we instantly checked out and made our way to the airport. We have yet to go back to the city since.

"Already noted." I walk over to my bed and pull off my shoes, letting my toes curl freely. The feeling you get after taking your shoes off after a hard day was a simple pleasure that I made great use of. "So what brings you by this fine evening?"

His face was neutral and I didn't since any anger from the guy, which is always a bonus in my book. So when he took a seat beside me I knew something was off. Way off.

"We need to talk about was has transpired in the last day and a half." he said. His face turned harder, but not in anger, in something I could only guess was seriousness.

I sighed deeply. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this talk was unavoidable. I mean, I lost control (nonexistent control) over my power and left a girl insane. It didn't matter that she had only had to suffer a short time or that she was fine now. It mattered that it happened, a fact that weighed like a heavy stone in my stomach. I couldn't bring myself to look at him, because I felt like a failure. Even if we didn't get along, even if we hated each other, I was still his kid. And I failed to control a power that was my responsibility to handle, just like every other demigod.

"I'm sorry." I looked to the floor. Apologizing was hard enough and not something that came easy to me, just like mom. But it was even harder because I was apologizing to my absentee father who I still had very mixed feelings about. When I didn't hear anything I continued just to get it over with. "I should have done something more. I should have pushed Drew out of the way or gone a different way. Keeping my eyes shut wasn't going to do anything to prevent it. I should have done better."

"That's what you think I'm talking about?" he asked in a genuinely surprised tone. I lifted my head up and looked at him.

"Well yeah, isn't it?"

His face morphed back into a calm yet serious expression. "No. Honestly I'm surprised something like that hasn't happened sooner. You must have a good amount of restraint over it."

"You're kidding right?"

"Not at all. Sarah you are not the only child I have ever had to possess this power. You are however the first to not go mad with it."

That shocked me. "Will the power drive me insane too?" Was that the price for a power such as this? You can make others crazy only to become crazy yourself?

"Of course not, what gave you that idea?" his voice slipping back into the usual 'are you an idiot?' tone. Ah, this I could handle. This was normal. "They merely went insane, if only for a shirt while, because of many things. Some became that way because of their fear of the power, letting it control them. Others couldn't control the amount of power they had and it ended the same way as the previous. You, I can sense the power you have even the untapped power. But for some reason you have a good grasp on it, whether you're doing it on purpose or not."

"Oh...that's good. I guess."

We didn't say anything else for a minute or two, or five. But who was counting really?

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"The Oracle has given a new quest. And even the dimmest demi brat here knows now if they hadn't before that it is meant for you."

"Yeah I already deciphered that much thanks. Anything to add?"

"You're not going." he said simply. I groaned loudly and rubbed my eyes. Is he really starting this again?!

Trying to be calm I took a deep breath before responding. "I appreciate you coming here to tell me that, but yes, I am going."

I was ready for yelling, insults, and him telling me just how incapable I was to go on this quest. Just like last time. We hadn't spoken properly at length since after my last quest, when he told me it wasn't enough to just get by with luck and only win by a hair. It was also then that I told him that I hadn't even wanted to be at this camp in the first place. That I had only come for Gwen and that I thought it was about time he knew about me. That conversation hadn't ended well.

So what happened next took me by surprise.

"Very well."

My jaw fell open and I briefly remembered the old cartoons I used to love when a character did that their jaws would go all the way to the ground. That was what I pictured I looked like.

"Huh?"

He rolled his eyes. "Please don't tell me you've been hanging around Perry so much that you're getting dumber." It took a sec to remember that Perry was in fact Percy, but I was too blown away that I couldn't defend my friend at that moment. "If you want to go I won't stop you."

"Really?" My voice was hopeful yet disbelieving and it didn't go unnoticed.

His eyes narrowed. "If I forbade you to go you would just run off like last time. It seems that the fact that I'm a god and your father doesn't hold very high with you. If I said something you would do the opposite just to spite me, like every other teenager in this world."

"That's not true and you know it. I did that last time because I had to. If you would have just listened to me for five seconds instead of just ordering me around you might have realized that."

"So if I had listened and still didn't want you to go would you have stayed?"

His tone said he knew the answer and that it displeased him. Well tough cookies.

"You're right, I still would have wanted to go. And unlike you I did see your side of the argument. No, I haven't been as highly trained as the senior campers here, but I can still fight alongside them. Yes, I did act stupidly, but that's kind of my thing and things tend to work out for me that way. And for the record, I wouldn't do it just to spite you. I would do it because it's right. I'm not that wild crazy teen that most parents have to put up with. Mom raised me right and I respected her enough to have common sense and use it wisely." Despite what he thought I knew my mom thought of me as a good kid. I was good and kept my nose clean. With all the monster fights I decided a long time ago mom didn't need to deal with a wild teenaged daughter on top of it all.

His eyes met my identical ones. "So you are going to go?"

I nodded. "I don't know when or with whom just yet. But if we can talk about this without biting each others heads off I will tell you these things as I check them off my to do list."

This was an olive branch of sorts. It was a small one, but one none the less. I was taking a big risk and it could easily blow up in my face. Still, if he was willing to try, I could too. He reached up with a hand and cupped my face. The touch was unexpected, but it was warm and gentle so I didn't pull away.

"You are so much like her." A hint of longing flickered in his eyes briefly. "Stubborn, strong willed, hot tempered at times, intelligent, and you have a presence about you that makes people turn to look."

I wanted to laugh at that for many reasons. One being that whole presence thing, people didn't notice me unless it was to insult me. Strong willed? Duh, it didn't take a genius to figure that out. But mostly what made it so funny was that hot tempered thing. Was he excluding himself from that on purpose or did he really not know that we alone share that trait? Mom barely had a temper. When she got mad sure it was bad, but volume helped in her case. But stubbornness, well...

"It runs in the family." I said with a giggle.

That was the first time I had even laughed in front of the guy. And the look on his face told me he realized it too. Maybe we could get along after all.

"But if you do anything pointlessly stupid or dangerous you will have kitchen duty until your thirty. Am I clear?"

Or maybe not so much.

Crest: Wow. It's been a few days since I posted it and I still have next to no votes on my poll for the third and final member of Sarah's questing party. Vote! Vote! Vote! Democracy exists for a reason people, use it. Also, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter so review and tell me what you think.