A/N- Thank you all so much for the reviews. I'm sorry I've been inactive. There was a lot of stuff that happened in the last month so I didn't find the time to update.

"What the actual hell happened?" Piper said, shaking her head once they all started leaving.

"I'd totally forgot about the curse." Jason sighed

"I'm less worried about the curse at the moment." Percy said, rubbing his temples

"That seems to be the most pressing problem at the moment. What else could you be worried about?" Jason asked in confusion

"I-I'm not sure if I'm wrong or not. I think we're going to have to wait and see." Percy said, not giving a straight answer.

"Yeah but what's the concern?" Jason pressed

"The effect of the books." Was all Percy said and Jason knew that there was no point in asking more because he wasn't going to get an answer. However, Jason knew that it concerned somebody else because if it had something to do with anybody who was with them at the moment, Percy would've told him but Jason knew that even though he was Jason's and Nico's brother and Piper's friend, he wasn't going to say anything if he felt that it was about somebody else. That was one thing that everybody loved about Percy but also left them curious.

"That chapter was intense though. Not just because of the curse but because of the emotions, the flashbacks and all." Nico said, changing the course of the conversation. Everybody nodded in agreement.

Piper and Jason had decided to go to the gardens and Nico wanted to be alone to think for some time and Percy on the other hand went to find Apollo.

"Hey." He said as he saw the god of music sitting by the beach.

"I was wondering if we'd get a chance to talk." Apollo chuckled "About the chapter, you know." He said

"Yeah, its hard to find people alone after such a chapter." Percy said, sitting down next to Apollo "But at the same time, maybe it isn't." he said after a couple of seconds. Apollo nodded in agreement.

"I'm pretty sure you noticed the mood of the 3 gods?" Apollo asked Percy

"Yeah, it was…heavy." Percy sighed "I don't think Hermes has recovered completely from Luke's death the second time." He said to Apollo

"He hasn't." Apollo confirmed. "I'm fairly sure that that's an important part of the pain that he was feeling. And so was what Chris said and what we had to go through." He added.

"I have a feeling that they're blaming themselves for what their kids are feeling in the books." Percy said

"Exactly." Apollo agreed.

"You don't think that Castor or Pollux could help with this?" Percy asked

"No. There isn't really any mystery or thought behind this. Its just guilt and pain. I don't think that we can do anything except let them talk it out." Apollo sighed

"Sucks." Percy said. Apollo gave a small chuckle.

"Sucks indeed."

Ares just couldn't bring himself to talk to Frank and Clarisse. He felt as if he had way too much to blame himself for but he knew he had to do it. As he went looking for Frank and Clarisse, he ran into Hades.

"Ow." Ares said

"I could say the same." Hades grumbled

"I assume you're looking for Nico?" Ares asked

"And Hazel." Hades nodded

"I think they're with Percy and Thalia." Ares said "Because Clarisse and Frank are too." He said

"But where?" Hades asked

"Coffee shop."

The two gods walked together to the coffee shop and saw them buying some refreshments. It seemed like Percy and Thalia were treating the others. 'Gods, sometimes those kids really acted like the older siblings' thought Hades.

"Oh hey, uncle." Thalia called "And Ares." Percy added and everybody chuckled.

"Hey now." Percy said with a small grin. "We must not ignore anybody. Rule number 1." He said

"Shut up, Jackson." Nico and Clarisse snorted and the two fist bumped.

"Now, they're gonna be teaming up on me." Percy said with a pout.

Hades and Ares looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

"Anyways, what brings you guys here?" Thalia asked the two of them and then Percy kept a hand on Thalia's shoulder and said something in her ear and Thalia nodded.

"I'm pretty sure its cause, you four wayward children do not spend enough time with your parents." Percy chided, changing his voice.

"We were just talking about how your parents have to come here for this. Where were you last night, huh? Beds empty! No note! Car gone!" Thalia said in a scary accurate impression of Molly Weasley.

"Sorry mother." Nico smirked. Thalia smacked him upside the head.

"Anyways, go spend some time with your parents now. Let the adults have a peaceful moment." Percy said with a grin. There were a few chuckles and the others got up. Hades and Ares gave Percy and Thalia grateful looks as they followed their children to their quarters.

Ares and Hades sat down with the younger gods in the Ares quarters.

"Okay so listen guys-" Hades started

"We didn't do anything wrong right?" Nico asked

"No no… its we're the ones who did wrong." Hades sighed

The younger gods exchanged confused looks.

"No, I don't think so?" Clarisse frowned

"Its not about now…its more about the past." Ares sighed. The younger gods' frowns deepened.

"Listen, during the reading of the last couple of chapters, its been…painful because we realized just how absent we were. I mean, the fact that Frank was praying that I wouldn't be his father…" Ares ran his hand over his face "…I'm not putting this right. Its not your fault." He said to Frank "But its mine. The fact that I had such an aura or such a personality that I just didn't make you or anybody feel like they wanted me as a father or…as anybody, really." He said

"And I understand that because of the treatment that I even gave Clarisse…I wouldn't want to be related to me either and I'm sorry that I made you feel like that. To be honest, I don't think that any number of apologies would make up for it." Ares said, swallowing thickly. Man, all those overheard conversations he'd put down were coming right back up.

Frank and Clarisse looked at Ares, worriedly.

"Dad, that was the past." Frank said with furrowed eyebrows

"Yeah but that doesn't justify the fact that you actually did think like that. It doesn't make it better that I actually made you think like that. It doesn't justify anything." Ares said, pain just leaking out in his voice.

"He's right." Hades said "We-" he got interrupted by a knock on the door. He got up and opened the door where Hestia greeted him with a smile.

"Zeus is calling all of us to continue the reading." She informed

"I thought we were on a break?" Nico asked, unknowingly quoting FRIENDS.

"Well, he believes that we've been stuck for a long time on this book so might as well get it over quickly." Hestia answered with a chuckle.

"Right." Hades said. He and Ares exchanged looks and Ares sighed.

"There's nothing we can do right now." He said "C'mon guys." He said to the kids.

They all gathered in the hall of the gods this time and all of them sat on mattresses with blankets. Ares picked up the book. Zeus wanted it to get over fast, well then he was going to rap the shit out of the chapter. Almost reading his thoughts, Hestia chuckled.

"Lets take it calmly." She said to him quietly. Ares pouted but nodded as he started.

"HAZEL!" FRANK SHOOK HER ARMS…her head spinning

Hades groaned as his head spun. Why must gods have a less pain tolerance just because they don't get hurt often? The House of Heroes maintained their pain tolerance though.

They were on a cliff overlooking…"I've been out that long?"

"That's way too long." Persephone said worriedly

"The flashbacks stopped after a while." Hazel reassured her.

Percy knelt beside her…happens when you're in combat

"That's a seriously big problem. Little brother has a point." Thalia said with a small wink at Nico.

"Oh shut the fuck up." Nico said "I'm older than you idiots." He said, gesturing to Thalia, Percy and Jason.

"And yet younger." Percy smirked.

"You see this, Jackson." Nico said, holding up one of his favorite fingers as he flipped Percy off.

"I see it but I choose to ignore it." Percy grinned.

"Both of you shut up. Serious stuff's going on here." Katie sighed.

Demeter, Poseidon, Zeus and Hades looked as if they were watching their life replay in front of them.

"I—I haven't been honest with you,"…whether he was concerned or wary

"Probably both at the same time." Chris said

"Where exactly did Nico find you?"… "Is…is there anything to drink?"

Hades coughed as his throat dried up and yet his tongue felt weird.

"Yeah." Percy muttered a curse…Percy dashed off.

"Apart from that, you were also third wheeling very awkwardly if I may add." Connor grinned at Percy.

"No you may not add." Percy chuckled.

Once they were alone…Her heartbeat stumbled. "You do?"

Hades felt his stomach sink as a part of the curse.

"You seem so different from other…some awful undead zombie.

"Of course not. We all have our secrets. We all have our pasts. We can't let that change who we are and we can't let that come between us." Frank said. Hazel smiled at him and so did everybody else.

"Frank, I—"… stung in the cold wind

Hades wiped the water in his eyes and blinked furiously. He hated the feeling of having water eyes due to wind.

I don't deserve a friend…"I'm not?"

"No." Everybody chorused.

Frank started to say…Hazel and dragged her into the fields

"Well shit." Rachel said and that summarized it.

"Done." Ares said

"I'll read." Chiron sighed and took the book.