Ah, sixteen reviews on the last chapter, all of which were screaming at me.

Fun times!

And none of you mentioned about the baby brother bit! Then again, that is my fault for BREAKING ALVIE AND CRYSTAL UP!

Sorry for not updating last night- I was working on this one-shot… it's relatively nice. I think…

OMGS- I did work. I managed a seven page essay on Wuthering Heights! I'm seriously in shock. I don't understand the book AT ALL and I managed seven pages. There is something seriously wrong with me!

Alvie didn't talk to her. He didn't sit with her in lessons or at breaks. Heck, he didn't even look at her. Whenever she walked past or attempted talking to him, he would look away or make out that he was reading and not listening to a word she had said.

She had hurt him.

She was the first person outside of his family he had put his trust in and she had hurt him.

She wanted nothing more than to apologize and make amends; to be his girlfriend. But she knew if she did that, she would lose more than just him.

Francis was torn between Crystal and Alvie, but whoever he chose just remained miserable. He would sit in the library with Alvie, attempting to make small talk about books or he would pace the school grounds with Crystal, listening to her muttering to herself about how much of an idiot she was. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't uncover was going on or cheer them up. He could throw books at Alvie for an eternity and not get a response. He might as well talk to trees and walls instead of Crystal as she was so lost in insulting herself.

In the end, he asked Joy and Nico, who gave him all the details.

It was blatantly obvious and he cursed himself in his home language for not figuring it out earlier.

He liked those two together- they were sweet and obviously made each other happy.

So, it became his goal to get them back together.

Crystal was in two minds instantly. She admitted that she wanted to talk to Alvie, but said she could only be friends with him. She never said why though, no matter how many times he asked.

Alvie never responded. He read more than ever lately and Francis was growing accustomed to never seeing him without a book. Was it Alvie's goal to read book in the school library?

Francis met Alvie's parents for the first, about a month after the break-up.

They were nice people, hilarious and caring. Francis found their playful bickering endearing. Alvie's mother, Annabeth, had the same eyes as Alvie, although wiser and sharper. Alvie got the rest of his looks from his father, Percy. They even had the same grey streak in their thick, windswept raven hair.

Annabeth was clearly the bookworm, scouring Alvie's school rucksack to endeavour what new books he had. Percy was the obnoxious one, in a good way, funny and caring and doing his best to make Alvie smile. Francis wished his parents were this cool and not strictly lining him up to be some stupid lawyer.

"How come we've never met Francis before?" Percy asked, looking quizzically as his son. Alvie looked sheepish. Percy grinned and turned to Francis. "You should come over for dinner and meet the rest of the crazy people."

"Sounds like fun." Francis agreed.

"Are you fluent in French?" Annabeth questioned. Francis nodded. "Bit of a warning- Tobias will want to learn French for a bit, but the novelty will wear off eventually."

"I have heard about zis Tobias- he zeems trouble."

"Oh, he is." Annabeth nodded. "But he has one weakness- frying pans." Francis must have looked dumbfounded as the adults laughed. Alvie smiled weakly.

"Come over Friday after school." Percy smiled. "Just wait with Alvie and we'll pick you up."

"Merci."

"Aw, now I want to learn French."

"No." Annabeth said firmly, trying not to smile. Percy automatically sulked, folding his arms and slouching back to the car. Alvie followed seconds later, his shoulders drooping. Annabeth watched her son drag himself away, sadness darkening her eyes.

Alvie was sat next to his mother at the dining table. She was slowly walking him through his Math homework and she was slightly smug and proud that his confused look gradually eased and he haltingly worked his way through the problems himself. He had her check them over and he looked so relieved to see that he had got one right all on his own. Ever since the incident with Crystal, his Math grade had teetered dangerously and was close to falling back to a D grade or lower. In desperation, he had rung his mother while she was at work. It had taken her a while to calm him down from stressing out over his homework, but the promise of helping him when she got back seemed to calm his nerves.

"OK, nearly done and-" Annabeth noticed someone sneaking up behind Alvie. At first, she thought it was her husband, but there was no Camp Jupiter insignia on the inside of his forearm, so it had to be Tobias under that Halloween mask.

She started to form the words 'Tobias, don't you dare', when her eldest son pounced and grabbed Alvie's shoulders, exclaiming 'Gotcha!'

Alvie gave a startled yell, his pen flying from his hands.

That wasn't the weird bit.

He just vanished.

Tobias backed up hastily, giving his own panicked and surprised yell.

"Alvie?" Annabeth breathed. Tobias removed the troll-zombie-monster mask and stared incredulously at where his brother had been.

"Dude…" He said wistfully; a small, amazed smile curling his lips upwards.

Annabeth shouted for her husband and glared at Tobias. He held his hands up in instant innocence, petrified. "I didn't know he'd do that!" He protested. "Please don't get the frying pan." He added quietly.

"What-?" Tobias slid back another foot or so, staring at Alvie's chair. "Mom, what-?"

"Alvie, is… is that you?"

"Yeah…" Alvie sounded confused. Tobias noticed his father making his way over, Callum or Theo balanced on his hip.

"What's going on?" He asked. Tobias hid behind him, placing his hand on Percy's shoulders and peering over Percy's right shoulder. Percy shot him an amused look.

"Tobias made Alvie jump and he… he just turned invisible." Annabeth reached out tentatively, her hand patting the air before her fingers brushed Alvie's hair.

"I… I'm invisible? Oh wow…"

"Can you change back?" His mother queried.

"Um…"

"Should I make him jump again?"

"No." Annabeth reprimanded. Tobias ducked behind his father again, much to Callum or Theo's amusement. Annabeth's look clearly stated that Tobias was in serious trouble as soon as she had sorted Alvie out. "Look, it might just be a new thing. Tobias scared you and it was an instinctive reaction."

"So, he either throws trucks at people or turns invisible?"

"Tobias Christopher Jackson!"

"Shutting up…" Annabeth sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"How are you now, Alvie?"

"Uh… I… I don't like that mask…" The daughter of Athena immediately shot her eldest a warning look. Without looking around, Tobias threw the mask out to the side.

"Better?" Annabeth asked, looking in Alvie's general direction.

"Bit…" The air shimmered and Alvie flickered briefly into view. "I can't… it won't go…"

"Just calm down, OK? Tobias's ugly mug is enough to scare the living daylights out of anyone." Tobias made to protest, but his mother's look silenced him.

It was just over three minutes before Alvie reappeared. He glanced around at them sheepishly and then looked at his hands. Relief washed over his features and he waggled his fingers, happy to see them again.

"How did I do that?" He asked, looking quizzically up at his mother.

"Um… well, if it's another part of that gift Apollo gave you… you might be bending light around you to hide you from other people's vision."

"I couldn't see me either."

"Then you're really good." Tobias smiled. He saw his mother's glare and obediently fell silent. Percy found it highly amusing to have his eldest son hiding behind his bag and cowering from Annabeth.

"Right on both accounts, Missy." Looking round, they saw Apollo walking towards them, Lilly in his arms. "This one's really cute. I think she likes me."

"Oh no, you're not gifting anymore of my children." Annabeth marched forward and retrieved her daughter from the god's arms, holding her protectively to her chest. Apollo just shrugged and turned to Alvie.

"Yes, that was an instinctive reaction and, yes, you were bending light around you." The sun god grinned cheekily at Annabeth, but she made the point of ignoring him and fussing over her daughter. "I thought it was a good idea."

"Your good ideas are going to get him killed!" Annabeth raged. Lilly startled, her sea green eyes widening in terror. Percy took a step towards his wife and hooked his free arm around his youngest daughter, pulling her to safety. Yes, son of Poseidon, but there was no winning against a daughter of Athena- take it from him; he had years of experience.

"Annabeth, sweetheart, look…" Apollo sighed. "It'll all make sense as he gets older and gets used to his powers. The less he freaks out about them, the better." He grinned at Alvie. "No invisible trips into the girls' changing room though." Alvie went bright red and looked down at the table.

"Alvie's not like that." Annabeth growled.

"Yes, yes, I know, I'm just teasing." Apollo briefly squeezed Alvie's shoulder. "You're doing alright, kid." He beamed.

After the invisible incident, Alvie had retreated to his room and lay on his bed, chewing his lip and trying to figure out how to voluntarily turn invisible. Tobias had come in and apologized, gave him a hug, for making him jump- "I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Or make you go bye-bye." Tobias sat next to him. "You OK?"

"I'm OK."

"Sure?" Alvie nodded, staring at the digital clock on his bedside table. "Thrown any trucks lately?"

"No. Bad headache."

"Lots of blood." Tobias added. "That was almost as scary as your disappearing act." Alvie glanced at him sceptically. "What?"

"You get scared?"

"Everybody gets scared, Alvie. We all just have different ways of dealing with it. Like Lou- she's terrified of snakes."

"She is?" Tobias nodded. "How'd you know?"

"I remember Dad took us to the zoo before you were born and it took him half an hour to get Lou to walk through the snake bit, but she did it with her eyes closed and her ears covered. She point-blank refused to look at snakes."

"Snakes aren't the nicest of creatures."

"No, they're not." Tobias agreed. "But… it's like… say if she came across a snake- whatever the size or colour or breed or whatever… she wouldn't move. It's like you with heights. Paralysing fear."

"Heights are evil." Alvie mumbled. Tobias chuckled. "What are you scared of then?"

"Needles." Tobias said immediately. "Needles are the personification of evil."

"That's a big word for you."

"Oy! Less of the sarcasm!" Tobias had him in an underarm headlock in seconds, ruffling his hair. "Say it."

"Say what?"

"Tobias is the best big brother ever and I'll never be mean to him."

"No."

"Rebel."

"Are you really scared of needles?" Alvie asked once Tobias had let him go. Tobias nodded and Alvie would have believed him if it hadn't been for the dull ringing in his ears. "There's something you're scared of more, isn't there?" Tobias frowned at him in confusion. Alvie studied him for a handful of seconds before looking back at his clock.

"My family." Tobias said eventually. Alvie didn't look round, but his shoulders had tensed slightly and Tobias figured he was listening. "I… losing you guys…" Tobias shook his head. "Not good."

"Not good." Alvie mumbled in agreement.

OK people, this is it for tonight. I'm watching Grown Ups 2!

Um, we've got Francis being nice- he is a generally nice guy- Alvie has new powers and some brotherly love at the end. It's a nice chapter, especially compared to the last one!