Chapter Thirteen: Can Opened Worms Everywhere

After talking with Nick (because I refuse to admit I cried in front of him) the day felt better. Sure, I still had issues with Nico and yes he still wasn't back yet, but I felt better about the whole thing. And things kept feeling that way, until I walked by the big house and saw Rachel standing in the doorway. Then I got this feeling that something was up.

"Hey." I said as I came to stand next to her. The red headed oracle smiled at me.

"What's up Batgirl?"

"Now I was going to ask you the very same thing Robin."

"I thought Gwen was Robin?"

I just shrugged. "There's like four Robins, I'm pretty sure we can stretch the name out. But really what's going on?"

She inclined her head towards the infirmary doorway. "The mystery girl woke up about half an hour ago. Chiron is talking with her now. I was coming to talk to him about something, but I don't want to interrupt."

I slung an arm around her shoulder. "But my dear Robin, that's how you get what you need!" Without another word I strode past her into the house heading straight for the room where I could hear two voices. I didn't even stop in the doorway and the conversation cut off.

"Sarah, what are you doing?" Chiron asked in a slightly annoyed tone which I decided best to ignore.

I took a seat on a unoccupied bed like I owned it. "I heard our sleeping beauty woke up and decided to drop in." I flashed him a smile which got a head shake in response. Then I focused on the now conscious girl. "And who are you?"

The girl just looked at me like I was a crazy person. Her light gray eyes were looking over me with suspicion. Her dark brown hair fell an inch past her shoulders and bangs that fell in a swooping angle, almost covering her left eye completely. She had full eyebrows and a long, but delicate nose. High cheek bones that you could tell baby fat had once clung to defined her face. Now that she was awake and sitting up I could see that she was thin, but curvy. When she caught me eying her closely her wide eyes narrowed. "Who's asking?" A slight Spanish accent tinged her voice.

Falling back on my manners I stuck my hand out. "Sarah Kenneth, Queens born New Yorker."

After studying my hand for a moment she took it and gave a slight shake. "Alexandra Cortez. I'm from Brazil, but I've lived in North Carolina for years now."

"Do you live alone?"

It was at this point that Chiron decided to join in the conversation again. This time he was more stern. "We were just talking about that Sarah before you interrupted. I do believe that you have archery lessons scheduled now."

I easily read that as my dismissal and reluctantly stood. "Well I'll be seeing you later Lex, we'll talk more then. I hope you like superheros!" I smiled excitedly before turning and making my way to the exit. Before I got through it though she spoke again.

"My name is Alexandra!"

"You look more like a Lex. Bye!" I waved and made my way out of the big house where Rachel still waited.

"That went well."

I shrugged. "I got a name, a rough home location, and an excuse to talk to her later. What did you get by standing out here?"

"Fair enough. But there was one thing you didn't take into account when chancing going inside." she gave me a sad look.

"What?"

"Mr. D is coming and he does not look happy, well, he looks more ticked than usual."

I turned my head slightly and realized she was right. Old leopard shirt was coming fast and he had a scowl on his face. Fantastic. "I suggest you run for the hills or at least wherever Percy is right now." I deadpanned. Not needing to be told twice she all but fled the on coming shit storm.

"Sarah." Mr. D stopped just in front me. "Is there something you would like to tell me?"

I cocked an eyebrow. The anger from this morning had died down a lot, but a male with an attitude was not something I needed at the moment.

"I just wanted to talk to her. Geez, wasn't aware it was a crime to be more social with my peers."

He bent over slightly and got really close to my face, not to mention my personal space. His eyes were hard, but I could tell not all the anger was directed at me for some reason. "You know very well that is not what I mean."

Now that had me confused. "So this isn't about Lex?"

He snorted but didn't move away. "Don't try and distract me young lady. You know I'm talking about your horrible attitude towards Pollux."

I turned my head to the side staring out over the main part of camp. Of curse Pollux would run to him the first chance he got. "Look, if you're here to yell at me just do it. I'm already going to say sorry to him when I see him anyway."

Then I felt him grab my chin and turned my head back towards him. His grip was firm yet it wasn't hurting me. Then his tone went full out parental. "That is not good enough. This behavior is unacceptable. You are not to fight with your brother."

"Siblings fight. It's a rule. He's just too sensitive, running to you after every little disagreement we have."

Mr. D's eyes darkened. "He was not upset that you yelled at him it was why you had. Am I correct in understanding that you did not sleep in your cabin last night?"

I felt a huge, cold lump fall into the pit of my stomach. Did Pollux have to tell him that?! He could have just stopped at our fight, but no! He had to go and snitch on me and now I was doomed. And Nico probably would be too if I didn't handle this just right.

Schooling my face I gave him a bored look. "You're right, I didn't. I was with Gwen and Sophia last night."

Somewhere in the back of my mind I was making a list of things I had to do to build this lie. Getting to the two of them before Mr. D did was the first thing. But as I got to number five on my list the whole thing was thrown out the mental window. His grip on my chin tightened and he scoffed.

"Do not lie to me little girl. It will never end well for you."

I didn't blink despite my mental flinching. "I'm not lying."

"You are just making things worse for yourself."

"And you're being paranoid." I snapped.

He let go of my chin but didn't back away. "So it's just a coincidence that the same night your brat boyfriend returns to camp is the very same night you are not to be found in your bed?"

Damn. I could hear it in his tone that he had always known exactly where I had been. He was just giving me a chance to fess up and I lied. He knew. He knew that I spent the night in the Hades cabin with my goth boyfriend where we had already once been caught in a awkward position by the angry man in front of me. He knew it. I knew it. I was screwed and we both knew it.

"Nothing happened!" I blurted not seeing a point in lying anymore. I held my hands up in front of me as if they held the power to stop this conversation. Oh what I wouldn't give for that ability.

I expected him to yell, I expected him to explode with anger. His purple eyes had grown so dark they may as well be black. I tensed and closed my eyes, ready for the boom. But when I felt him grab my wrist and pull me forward into the big house I opened my eyes. He was silent as he pulled me into the far back of the house where I never had been, it was sparsely decorated only having a table and a land lined phone. He practically threw me at the phone, the room felt really cold right then under his gaze.

"Call your mother." he hissed, it sounded like he was trying not to unleash the unholy horror of his anger.

I blinked once. Then twice. "What?"

"You are to call your mother and tell her exactly where you were last night. After you are done you are to go straight to your cabin and no where else." he stressed "You wait for me there. Am I understood?"

I looked at the phone then back at him. "But I-"

"Am I understood Sarah Elizabeth Kenneth!" he voice was loud and made me feel small.

"Yes." I mumbled, not wanting to make him angrier.

"Yes what?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes sir."

He gave me one last cold look before he swept out of sight. A nagging feeling in my gut told me he was Nico Hunting. I got the same feeling it was going to become his new favorite sport. Turning back to the old phone I picked the receiver up and dialed the number I had memorized at three years old. It rang only twice before she picked up.

"Hello?" my mom's familiar and warm voice came through the phone.