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This is: Fortitude

Kayden, Kirsten, Rachel, Nico

Summary preview: Percy simply defines fortitude.

-100DIWPJ-

I stared at Dad as I realized he was completely serious. Kayden looked just as disbelieving as I did. Was Dad seriously sending Uncle Travis to watch us? Like, seriously? Uncle Travis was kind of insane!

"But, Dad! Why? I get that you have to go, but why the babysitter? We are perfectly capable 15-year-old teenagers! Do you seriously not trust us?"

Dad cracked a wry smile at us. The sight shocked me into silence. After Mom's death seven years ago, he had all but lost the ability to smile at little things.

"Do you have any idea what kind of trouble I caused when I was your age? I don't think they ever found the lion statues." he told us, a grin making its way across his face.

I blinked. "You stole lion statues?"

Dad started laughing. "I don't think that is actually possible for those particular statues. Let's just say that was a very... interesting year for me. And considering that you are my children I have complete faith that something would have ended up destroyed by the time I got back if I leave you on your own." he told us, a gleam in his eyes.

I glanced towards my brother and knew he was storing this information away. Dad rarely shared any information on his past, claiming it was disastrous and unimportant. All we really knew was that he held a weird grudge against the Empire State Building and San Francisco.

"Thanks for the support, Dad." Kayden drawled.

Dad ruffled his hair and kissed my forehead. "I'll be back in a week. Don't do anything too dangerous before Travis gets here. Love you both." he told us before closing the door behind him.

I sighed and made my way towards the couch.

"Well. That was new." Kayden said, throwing himself into the computer chair. I snorted as he went flying back a few feet.

"Yeah. I wonder what he did with the statues."

Kayden moved the chair back to its original position before sighing. "I wish Dad was so closed off all the time. I mean, it isn't like we don't learn stuff anyways. Grandma Sally talks about his fortitude all the time. Grandpa already told us he saved Mom's live more than once. Rachel always adopts a fond tone when talking about Dad, which I think speaks for itself."

"I know, right? And Grover talks like Dad did him some grand favor on more than one occasion. Last time we saw Thalia she told me that he was way braver than her. Nico just told us to avoid mentioning it around Percy all together which is kind of suspicious."

"I just don't understand why he's so edgy about it. Unless he was in a gang or something. We're his kids! Surely we are entitled to some sort of explanation?" Kayden questioned.

"Think again, children. When Percy wants something to stay hidden, it typically does."

Rachel stood in the doorway, smirking. "Rachel!" I cried as I rushed towards her. She laughed as she stumbled back.

"Kirsten! Hello to you as well, Kayden." Rachel greeted us. Kayden quickly gave her a side hug and stepped away.

"What are you doing here? Dad told us Uncle Travis was going to be our watcher." Kayden questioned as we moved further into the room.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Why you children insist on calling him 'uncle' in the first place is beyond me. He isn't remotely related to you. And I don't know what Percy was on when he made that decision. Your house would be ashes by the time he came back."

"We found out and made sure that Travis had, uh, other problems to worry about." Nico informed us, strolling in behind Rachel.

"Katie will never forgive you." Rachel snickered.

Nico smirked. "Who says she will ever find out it was me? Hey Kayden, Kirsten."

Kayden fist bumped him. "Hey Nico."

Rachel grabbed all of our arms and led us to the couch. Or she led Nico to the couch and promptly demoted Kayden and I to the floor.

"Now I am of the personal belief that you deserve a little more information about your father. I'm only going to show you this once, so pay attention. And don't ever tell Percy. He would kill me." Rachel told us, pulling a pen out of her jeans.

I stared at the familiar pen in confusion. "Is there a reason that you have Dad's favorite pen, or?"

Nico threw her an impressed look. "How did you manage to nick that? Doesn't it have that whole return property?"

Rachel patted his hand. "I have my ways." She then removed the cap of the pen.

I was not expecting a three-foot long sword to shoot out of it. Neither was Kayden, by the way he scrambled back. "Whoa!" we exclaimed at the same time.

Rachel looked exasperated. "I thought so. Well, if nothing else he has no reason not to tell them now. They have the Sight."

Nico frowned. "Yeah. But now he does have reason to kill us for alerting any monster in the near-by radius of our presence."

Rachel just shook her head. "We can handle them. And Percy won't kill us." she considered for a moment. "He won't kill me, at least. I'm not certain on your worthiness." Nico scowled at her.

I jumped in before they rambling went any further. Monsters? Magic pens? And here I thought Uncle Travis was crazy. "What the hell is that? I thought Dad just had an unnatural attachment to that pen, not that it was a dangerous weapon!" I demanded.

Rachel and Nico shared an amused look. "Unnatural attachment?" he mouthed. Rachel laughed.

"This is serious, guys!"

Rachel sighed and touched the cap to the end of the sword. It instantly turned back into a pen. For the sake of my sanity, I ignored the way it disappeared. "That was Riptide. Ask Percy about it sometime. It helped him survive wars and battle through death. Your dad has some serious fortitude going for him."

"Try not to be too persistent with the questions. Percy gets edgy and likely won't like constant reminders of Annabeth." Nico threw in.

"Oh trust me," Kayden replied, breaking through his shock, "We are going to have a serious talk with Dad when he gets home. Now when you say 'monsters'..."

-100DIWPJ-

Thoughts?

Next chapter: Vacation

~ Anna/ Booklover98