Okay guys, time budget so short A/N. On my standards at least.

Sorry, I've been really bad lately. But I've been kinda flooded as of late. :( Sorry! Hopefully next week I'll be better!

This was one of those chapters where it started as a filler and as I began writing it, it amounted to more than I expected. I make most of this crap up on the fly. Sadly, that means a lot of this could be higher quality, but I've been going for speed, so, yeah.

I'm not all that proud of this cliffhanger, I try to leave better, not totally obvious or whatever ones, but I'm on a time budget.

REVIEW! VIRTUAL HUGS TO ALL REVIEWERS!

Disclaimer: yadda yadda yadda

READ ON!

I fell down into the grass. "Sweet relief!"

Zack laid down beside me. Again, we had ventured aways from the bus to get some privacy.

"You'd think you had just ridden with the Gray Sisters, the way your acting."

I pretend-gagged. "Don't even mention their name. It makes me want to barf just thinking about them. Their driving skills rival their social skills, and that is saying quite a lot."

I saw Zack sit up, his eyes narrowing. "We got trouble heading our way."

I sighed. "Of course we do. Monster?"

"Sort of..."

I sat up and saw a small crowd coming our way. "Oh. Awesome."

Zeke, Kara, the other sons of Zeus, and a couple kids of Ares stalked our way.

Zack tensed and I saw Zeke smirked. I had missed something, I was sure of it, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know what.

"'Sup, bitch." Kara snarled at me.

I shrugged. "Nothing much. How 'bout you."

"Smartass."

"At least it has smart in it, I'll take it as a compliment." I turned my attention to Zeke. "Zeke," I said with forced pleasure, "how has your day been?" Sarcasm was flooding out of my mouth. I was all too aware that Zack didn't smile as I'd expect at my sarcasm, instead the only movement was his eyes moving between Kara and Zeke and his not-so-subtle creeping closer to me. I resisted the urge to sigh.

"Could be worse. Could be..." he smiled devilishly and looked at me a way that made my skin crawl, "better." He finished. "Care to help?"

"Not to save my life." All sarcasm was gone.

"Piss off Zeke." Zack snarled. "You too Kara. And take your groupies with you."

"But the suns so nice over here." Kara argued with a smile.

"Yeah," Zeke agreed. "Plus, it was getting crowded by the busses."

"So go suffocate, I don't care." I spat. "Just get the hell out of here."

"I'm hurt, Lena."

"Bite me," I snarled.

"Okay." He agreed, smiling again. My evident disgust prevented me from replying.

"Zeke," Zack said sternly, with a deadly calm. "Get. Out. Of. Here."

"Come on, brother! It's family bonding time."

I stood up. "Okay. I'm sick of this. My patience is officially gone."

"Didn't take long," Kara snickered.

It took a blink of an eye to pull out my pen, uncap it, and hold it to Kara's neck. "Disarm me now, bitch. How's it feel?" I felt my coldness seeping out. I hated her. She had made me weak, and she had almost killed me. Although, I'm not sure if I was upset by the fact that...well, she almost KILLED me or she ALMOST killed me. "You'll rot in the Fields of Punishment." I told her. "I just wish I could be there to see it."

"Oh, you'll be right there with me."

I smirked. "Lovely." Zeke took a step forward and I swiftly pulled my knife out and held it to his chest. "Don't worry, boy. I got a weapon to kill you with, too." I looked at their lackeys. "I'm afraid you'll need to form a line and take a number, but piss me off, and I'll deal with you accordingly." My attention returned to the two at the end of my weapons. "You too get a skip-the-line pass. Congrats."

I hadn't even noticed Zack standing, but suddenly I felt him behind me, putting his hands on top of my arms, trying to get me to lower my weapons.

"It's not worth it, Lena." He said. "They're not worth it."

For a moment, my arms remained raised, against Zack's soft pressure. But then I sighed and lowered them. "He's right." I told them, as I put away my weapons. "You're trash. You're not worth dirtying my blades." I turned my head to Zack. "Come on. Alexa probably needs help with something or another." Together we began to walk away.

"Don't you act all high and mighty!" I heard shouted behind me. I glanced back but did not fully turn around. Zeke was seething. Anger distorted his face, making him seem something less than human. "My father visited me again! Told me all about you! That monster's got you wrapped around his finger. You're cursed! Infected! A contagious disease!"

My eyes widened and my skin went cold. Zack put a calming hand on my wrist, but he was shaking, too, but I'm not sure if it was from anger, surprise, or fright.

"Being by you, standing by you, fighting with you," Zeke continued, shouting at the top of his lungs, I did not turn around again. Instead I watched as heads near the bus turned and voices fell silent. I watched as I was condemned and damned, and helpless to stop it. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. "We're all vulnerable! And you KNOW it! You just don't care!" He mercilessly shouted. "Hell, you're probably working for it!"

"You're wrong." It was barely a whisper. He didn't hear.

I saw Alexa take a step forward from the crowd. As did Mara and Max, and Alex and Lexi. An audience for my execution, or so it seemed.

I felt my fingers twitch. In my pocket were my normal throwing knives.

"That's not all Zeus, lord of the skies and all gods, told me!"

Of course it wasn't.

Zeke was preaching to the crowd now. Telling his church that the apocalypse was nearing, and I was at fault. "This girl," He was at my side, pointing at me, "Is not who she claims."

"A Jackson?" Alexa questioned, seeming unsure what to think.

"A human." He clarified walking closer to the crowd.

"You're claiming she's not human?" Alexa asked incredulous.

Zeke shook his head. "I'm saying she's inhumane."

I was numb now. Staring at the ground, but fully aware of what was going on.

"Zeke, shut up." Zack growled.

Zeke turned around. "It's my turn to talk. You be quiet."

Then he returned to his captivated audience. "He showed me what she's done." He walked closer to me. Zack tightened his grip on my wrist, but I shook it off as Zeke came over to look me in the eye. Bending down so he was inches away.

"Do you see them in your nightmares?" He said, just loud enough for the first row of the crowd to hear. "Do you even regret what you did?"

More than you know.

More than I can take, most days.

"I won't regret what I'll do to you." I stated, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

Zeke trailed a finger along my jawline. "Nor I to you." He whispered, that sickening smile still on his lips.

Then he turned back to the crowd. "This girl, this monster, has no right to claim she was the daughter of our great heroes. For all we know, it was she who killed them!"

"You're crazy!" I heard Mara's voice shout.

"Oh? Am I? Because human blood spilled seems to be a familiar concept to Lena." He turned back to me. "Would you like to tell them, or shall I?"

I stayed silent. I stayed still.

"Tell them, Lena." Zeke began to laugh. "Tell them how in one night you took two lives. Two innocent lives." He began to walk to me slowly. I couldn't move or speak, and I don't think Zack could either.

"Tell them how they both we're just trying to help you. Tell them about the old man. What were his last words again?" He pretended to think. "Oh, yes. I remember them. Do you?" He asked. "Well?" He snarled. "What were they?"

I swallowed. "'You heartless monster.'" I said quietly, but it was silent enough in the clearing that I knew they could all hear me. "'My daughter. My grandkids.'"

"And then what happened?" Zeke questioned.

"Zeke." Zack snapped.

"I'm just asking a question, Zack!" He returned his fury to me. "Well?"

"Then they died." I replied, my voice just above a whisper. I looked him in the eye. I would face this. It may kill me, but at least I'll have faced it.

"And then the police officer came?" Zeke seemed intrigued by my participation.

Zack tried to pull me away, as if distance could stop the nearly-unbearable and completely indescribable pain that coursed through me. "Lena."

I turned to him. "Zack." I stared him in the eyes, willing for him to understand. Then I turned back to Zeke. "Yes. Then the police officer came. He told me to put the gun down, and I refused."

"Then what?" He was a shark, and he tasted blood.

I replied calmly, coolly. "Then I held the gun to my forehead."

I heard several gasps. One came from Mara. I saw her hand fly up to her mouth, and tears form in her eyes. I saw Lexi lean into Alex, as if she couldn't support herself. Her face was numb, and Alex's was distraught. I saw Alexa, her face, usually unreadable, clearly displayed shock and a few other emotions. Ones that made me look away in shame.

"But you didn't pull the trigger." Zeke smiled. He was aiming for the kill.

"Obviously."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't."

"Why?" He pushed.

"Because I wasn't strong enough!" I shouted. "Because I didn't have the goddamn strength to put a bullet in my head."

"You were weak."

I stared him in the eyes. I hated him so much right now. My fingers twitched again.

I needed to do this.

"Yes." I replied.

"Then what happened?"

"Then, I told the policeman to shoot me. He wouldn't." My eyes glazed over and I could see it all again, even through the drunken haze I was in that night. "I begged him. I begged him to shoot me. To kill me." I raised my eyes to my audience. "I was nine years old." I heard a few gasps, but I think most people were just too shocked to make any noise at all. "I was drunk. I had already committed one murder. I wanted out, I wanted it to be done. So I begged. I shouted. He refused." I swallowed and lowered my eyes. "So I shot him."

"You're sick." Zeke spat.

I looked up again. "I thought so too. I still kind of do, but..." I sighed. "Not quite so much anymore. I don't think I could explain it if I wanted to. I thought I was a heartless, soulless monster. After that night, I didn't think I deserved to die." I chuckled coldly. "I thought death was a reward, and I thought life was my punishment. I spent the rest of my life regretting what I did...more than I could ever explain in words. I can never take back what I did. I can never give that small child her grandfather back, or the city that policeman. But I'm trying to make it right. I really am. I'm here. For once in my life I am trying to do what's right. It's a foreign and scary as hell to me, but I'm trying." I looked my crowd in the eye. "I'm trying."

I had nothing left to say.

It was out of my hands now.