Haha, when I was writing this chapter, Miss Jackson by Panic! At The Disco came on and nothing suits Alyx better. Seriously.

I do not own Percy Jackson nor Heroes of Olympus, they belong to Rick Riordan.

Chapter Five - Carlos

She led him home, keeping her arm around him tightly for comfort. He didn't protest, mostly because he enjoyed her warmth and embrace. The next fifteen minutes passed by weirdly. First, he sat on the couch, not bothering taking off his backpack or jacket, and just sat there until she gently pulled off his jeans and pulled on his sweats, taking his backpack and jacket as well. She wrapped a blanket around him, cupping his cheek and running her thumb over his eyebrow, which was unusually relaxing.

"T-Thank you…" He sniffled.

"You're welcome." She replied. "You want some hot chocolate?" He nodded. She got up and begin to make it. He watched, sniffing and wiping his nose. Then she set the cup in his hands, and sat next to him.

The next thing he knew, he was asleep.

He stood in a room that looked like a control room you see in movies: wooden walls covered in maps, blueprints and a few weapons, a window looking out onto a deck above a desk with tons of buttons, a steering wheel and a few levers. A black office chair sat there with a girl sitting in it. A big wooden table was in the middle of the room, with twelve people pouring over a map.

He recognized the girl in the chair immediately. She was the one from the AutoZone. Her hair was even more messed up, bags under her eyes and her clothes were wrinkled. Earrings shone in the lighting. She looked ready to fall asleep any minute.

He took in the other people. The first person he noticed was a beautiful older woman with… Puerto Rican features? She had dark brown eyes, tan skin and long black hair tied in a braid down her back. She wore a simple purple shirt, jeans and boots. Her arms were crossed, but she seemed to be agreeing with three kids who looked just like her, except the boys had brown eyes and the girl had blue eyes. The girl had her hair cut to her shoulders, pinned back in a short ponytail, strands hanging in her face. She wore similar clothing to the woman, a purple shirt, jeans and boots. The boys wore purple shirts, jeans and running shoes, their hair short yet modest.

The next girls he noticed were beautiful yet by looking at them, he immediately could tell they could beat someone in a fight. The first girl had chin length black hair, Chinese features, light skin and brown eyes. She too wore the same thing as the others, but her pants were black. Her arms were muscular, yet thin.

The second girl had waist length golden blonde hair tied in a braid, neatly cut bangs on her forehead, just above her eyebrow. They were a bit paler than the rest, like she'd dyed it then when the dye faded it left it pale. Her skin was tannish, not dark like his own or Alyx's, more of… Eh… Light tan, he guessed? Anyway, she wore a blue sweater over an orange shirt, zipped up all the way. She wore jeans and boots. Her eyes were electric blue and flickered in the light.

The last girl was pretty too. Long brown hair tied in a braid as well, dark blue eyes, stormy almost, with tan skin. She looked tired and sad. She wore a black shirt with a skull on it, jeans and boots. She was thin, yet curvy.

The third guy he noticed had chocolatey skin, pale gold eyes, and shaggy cinnamon curls. He wore a purple shirt, jeans and running shoes, but his shirt was backwards and his hair was poorly combed. He had a deep frown on his face, and like brown haired girl, he looked tired and sad.

The fourth guy had dark brown hair, modest yet nicely cut. His eyes seem to shift colors in the light, blue, green, light brown and hazel and a bunch of different colors, occasionally staying on blue. He wore a dark blue sweater like the blonde girl, jeans and running shoes. His glasses were a bit crooked. A scar was on his lower lip and a scar going through his eye.

The next guy had a surfer's tan, gorgeous ocean blue eyes and short blonde hair. A swirling tattoo went up his left arm. Three scars went through his eye. He wore a black long sleeve, jeans and running shoes. He too looked exhausted and sad.

The sixth guy had slightly long auburn hair, sapphire eyes and light tan skin. He had a nick in his eyebrow, like it was cut and the hair never grew back. He wore a blue shirt, jeans, a tool belt and work boots. A pencil was in his hand.

The seventh guy had short blonde hair, electric blue eyes and dark sun kissed skin like his. A two inch scar (thanks Dad) was on his chin. He wore a blue long sleeve, jeans and running shoes.

The eighth guy had slightly long caramel colored hair, brown eyes and tan skin. A scar went through his eyebrow. He wore a red shirt, jeans and running shoes.

Whoo, after checking out everyone, he listened in on the conversation.

"I still do not approve of you joining this quest." The woman was telling the brown haired girl.

"Why not? She's my niece, I should be able to find her like the rest of you." She replied.

Niece?

"Bi, you're making matters worse." The blonde haired girl said. She scrunched her nose up.

"I took a leave of college to find her." She stomped her foot. "I'm going to help you guys and that's final." The woman raised her hands.

"Okay, okay." She said. "Leon, have you had any luck on the scanners?" The girl in the chair, Leon, woke with a start, turning and rubbing her eyes.

"No, but I've picked up a lot of signals from the Hunters."

"What, why?" The gold eyed guy said.

"I have no idea." She replied. "I've been tempted to land, but I dunno…"

"Mom, do you think we should see what they want?" The first boy who looked like her asked. The woman looked at the map, her arms crossed and her lips pursed.

"We should, in my opinion." The Chinese looking girl said. She raised her arm, and that's when he noticed them.

A SPQR tattoo with seventeen lines was on her inner right forearm. A spear intersecting with a weird looking almost wand like image was above SPQR. His heart stopped. Alyx had a SPQR tattoo so that meant…

"Well, I mean I guess so." The woman finally said. "Thalia might have some information."

He sat up straight, bonking heads with Alyx, who yelped and recoiled, holding her forehead. He panted, patting his cheeks to make sure he was real.

"Are you okay, dear?" His mom asked, somehow in front of him, patting his leg. He shook his head.

"Had a dream." He muttered.

"About?"

"Just a weird one like when I was a kid." He smiled weakly, gulping. Alyx raised her eyebrow, like she didn't buy it at all.

"Dinner's ready, love. Come on."

In a few minutes, they were gathered around the dining table, Alyx happily eating the Chinese food like it was going to vanish. She told stories of fighting criminals and helping out the departments.

He poked his chicken with his chopsticks. Alright, so obviously someone was looking for her. He knew it immediately after seeing the SPQR tattoo. And the mention of Thalia, Thalia Grace, was enough to make him believe someone was searching for her. And who knows how long too. The woman was clearly leading the… Quest? That's what they called it, right? Not to mention all of those people. Was she really that important. He glanced at her. At the moment, she was laughing with her parents, Pearl hugging her arm.

Everything seemed muffled. The laughter and speaking.

He stood abruptly, making his dad look up at him.

"Carlos?"

"Excuse me. I'm going to bed." He picked up his plate and put it on the counter by the boxes and headed upstairs, rubbing his eyes.

He wasn't feeling jealousy.

Or sadness.

Yet, he felt both of them despite not thinking he did.

He took a shower and crawled into bed, curling up tightly in the comfortable sheets and blankets, closing his eyes and sniffing.

Anger.

To Be Continued...