"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," Rhea told the cab driver, as she slipped in. Guilt ran through her at what Grover's reaction would be when he noticed that she was gone, but Rhea…she couldn't bring harm to her mother, not when she had a Fury after her. And she didn't want to admit that Grover had been freaking her out with the, "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade,"

So, with his bladder upset and he having to use the bathroom, she had slipped away. Now, she was heading home, thinking about her mother.

Sally Jackson, was the best person in the world, and in Rhea's honest opinion, like every other great person she had the rottenest luck. She was born in Paldea, but her parents had died in a plane crash when she was five and she was sent to Unova to be raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she studied hard, getting a scholarship to Uva Academy in Paldea and spent the rest of the high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then just as she reached senior year, her uncle got cancer and she had to quit school, coming back to Unova to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

The only good break she ever got after that, was meeting Poseidon.

Rhea…doesn't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. And some words that always seem to echo in her head.

"Hold fast, Rhea. Brave the storm that was made to break us for we are unbreakable,"

That was the only thing she could remember about Poseidon. Her mom didn't like to talk about him because it made her sad and she had no pictures. They weren't married, Rhea thinks that Poseidon's true love, Amphitrite would have taken offense to that.

"Though at least I don't have to worry about her like I would have to Hera if Zeus was my father," Rhea shivers at the thought as she slips out of the cab and thanks the driver. Her mother, over the years, had worked odd jobs, took night classes to her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. "She has never complained or gotten mad…not even once..not even when he came into our lives,"

Gabe Ugliano, who was nice for about thirty seconds before showing his true colors as a world-class jerk. Rhea never understood what her mother, who had pulled an attention of an God towards her, sees in him. When Rhea was young, she had nicknamed him Smelly Gabe and that was because he stank so bad, like he had bath in Grimer sludge or if someone wrapped gym shorts in moldy garlic pizza.

"There's nothing wrong with the plumbing in this building," Rhea closes her eyes, hearing the voice of Eddie, once more yelling at Gabe as she got closer to the door of their apartment. "Maybe you should see a doctor,"

"How do you know I'm not a doctor, huh?" Rhea had to snort at that, rolling her eyes.

"Have you considered eating more fruit?" Eddie yells before opening the door, closing it as Gabe yells back at him. Sighing he turns and then blinks, "Oh…hello Rhea,"

Smiling, Rhea does a little wave, "Hey, Eddie, sorry about that," she gestures to the door.

Eddie turns to the door, ""I'm walking out, you're walking in," he points at himself, "I should be apologizing to you,"

Rhea chuckles before she walks into the little apartment, seeing Smelly Gabe in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet. Hardy looking up, Gabe with a cigar in his mouth said, "W-hell, hello. Welcome home, genius,"

"¿Está mi madre en casa?"

Gabe huffs, looking at her in annoyance, "First, Common. How many times do I have to tell you that we use Common in this household, you idiot girl. And two do you have any cash,"

"Of course, he still a racist piece of shit even after all these months…no welcome back no, how has your life been the last six months," She looked at him with anger in her green eyes. Gabe has put on some weight, still looking like a tuskless Walrein in thrift-store clothes. He had a shiny bald scalp with only three hairs on his head that he combs over, as if that made him handsome or something. He didn't have a job, both me and her mom knew this, but he said that he manages the Electronics Mega-Mart, though he stays home most of the time. And even if he was telling the truth, Rhea had no idea how he wasn't fired. He spends most of her mother's hard earn money on cigars that made Rhea nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever Rhea was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds, calling it a "Daughter-Father secret" MEaning if she told her mom, he would punch her lights out.

It was one of the reasons why she was glad to have been sent to Asperita Academy. It got her away from Gabe. There were a few times he had grabbed her too tightly, forming bruise on her arms and the back of her neck which were hard to hide from not only her mother, but Triton and Murphy. She did not want to explain why her older brother, who was a God, was impaling Gabe with a sword...or trident.

"I don't have any cash," she stated calmly but Gabe raised an eyebrow at her.

Even though he stank so bad, Gabe could sniff out money like a Growlithe, "You took a taxi from the bus station," he stated with a sneer, "Probably paid 20 poke, got six, seven poke in change. Somebody expects to live under my roof, oughta carry her own weight,"

"Your roof?" Rhea snaps, her anger rising once more, "My mom is the only one employed here!"

"Excuse me?" Gabe snarls even as two of his buddies pass gas in harmony, ignoring everything. "I have a job. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Losing in poker," Rhea rolls her eyes, digging into her pocket to pull out the wad of Poke and slamming it onto the table, "Where's my mom?"

Gabe huffs, "Out on the fire escape doing that weird…sitting in the rain shit,"

"But now the current's stronger. No, I couldn't get out if I tried but you convinced me, baby. It was all in my mind"

"Mama?" Rhea calls out, dropping her suitcase to the ground as she stares at the back of her mother. Her mother turns and Rhea could feel her fears melt away. Her mother, her sweet, wonderful mother, could make anyone feel good by just walking into the room. Rhea wished that she looked like her mother a bit more. While her mother had long brown hair that reached the top of her shoulders, Rhea had long black locks that reached her mid back. Her mother has beautiful blue eyes that sparkle and seem to change color in the light, while Rhea had brilliant eyes that were green as a meadow. The only thing they did share was the freckles that dance across their faces, though Rhea had more it seemed and because of them, her mama called her, her Estrella, her star.

"I'm really, sorry. Lo intenté esta vez, realmente lo hice. Al menos no me expulsaron," Rhea blabbers out as her mother climbs through the window, "but this time. It really wasn't my fault," she grunts a bit as her mama wraps her arms around her, pulling her close, "Realmente no fue culpa mía." She stands there as her mother hold her close, shushing her, "Mamá, ahora estoy toda mojada,"

"Lo siento, mi pequeña estrella." her mother whispers, "I just can't believe it. You have grown since Christmas!" Rhea couldn't help but laugh at this as her mama dragged her into her room. Which wasn't really her room, or at least felt like it. During the school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except for old car magazines, but he loved shoving all of her stuff into the closet, leaving his muddied boots on her windowsill and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne, cigars and stale beer. But right now, the room wasn't empty.

"Leonidas!" She smiles as the Miradon looks up from laying on her bed. It may not look like it, but her mama was a very good trainer, especially during her high school years in Uva Academy. During her freshman year, she met Miradon who used to belong to her friend, Arven's father who was once a Professor. Her mother had named him Leonidas..

The large reptilian Pokemon, with metallic scales of violet and silver, looked up as his eyes turned on, revealing pixelated light blue eyes. Rumbling, he slid off the bed and walked over to Rhea, sniffling her before swiping his tongue across her face making her squeal, "Leonidas! Ew! You know that doesn't come off easy!" she laughs rubbing her hands on the side of his face, gaining a small tail wag of pleasure. When her mama's uncle had gotten cancer and she was forced to drop out, she gave her friends her Pokemon to raise, except for Leo who had snuck into her bag without her knowing. Leonidas was the only Pokemon of her mother's that Rhea had ever met in real life, the others, such as her Meowscarda were still living in Paldea, being taken care of by her Aunt Nemona, Uncle Arven and Aunt Penny.

Rhea softly petted Leo's head as she sat beside her mother on her bed. While they attacked the blueberry sour strings from the huge bag of 'free samples' her mama had gotten for her, demanding to know everything Rhea didn't tell her in my letters. She didn't mention about me calling one of my teachers an old sot or how I was almost expelled, she didn't care about any of that…all she wanted to know was I okay, was her Estrella all right?

"Mama, you're smothering me," Rhea laughs but secretly she loved it and she was so glad to be home.

"Hey, Sally?! How about some bean dip, huh?"

Rhea gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing. Her mama is the nicest lady in the world, who if things were different who had been worshiped, not married to Gabe. But for her sake, Rhea took a deep breath and tried to sound upbeat about her last days in the school. How excited she was for the opportunity of Independent Study and to start her journey, Headmaster Cheron's belief that she could go to Blueberry Academy, how happy she was to lasted a whole year this time. How she did well in this year and even made a friend and that the fights weren't too bad. Talking about Grover and Mr. Bunner…until the field trip.

"What?" Mama whispers, her eyes tugging at Rhea's conscience, trying to pull out her secrets, "Did something scare you?"

Rhea gulps, frowning as Leonidas whines when she stops petting his head. "Something happened to me….something has been happening to me," Rhea admits, taking a deep breath, "More than my mind wandering and it got worse and….I'm scared,"

Her mom pursed her lips as her blue eyes seem to grow darker. "Gabe," Rhea blinks, startled but before she could ask, Gabe was at the doorway, eyes narrow in anger. "Rhea and I are leaving for Montauk,"

Rhea's eyes widen, "Montauk?"

"Three nights, same cabin," she grins, and Rhea felt her heart leap for joy, hardly believing it. Her and mom haven't been to Montauk the last two summers because Gabe said there wasn't enough money. She turns back to Gabe, "I'll have the car back by Sunday morning,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Gabe's eyes got smaller, "Since when are you going to Montauk?"

"I called to reserve the place a few weeks ago. As a celebration for Rhea being allowed to go on her journey,"

"You mean you were serious about that?

"Okay," Gabe sneers, "And why exactly am I okay with this?"

"Because" and Rhea had to smile. She loved it when her mama stood up to Gabe, it was small, but it was amazing when she did, "Not only will you not have to settle for bean dip but I'll make you enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream the works," Gabe's eyes soften at this, "And when I'm on my way back home on Sunday, I'm going to stop at the D'Angelo's and pick up the sandwiches in time for tipoff, but if you make this miserable, I'm gonna go anyway and then I'm going eat my sandwich and yours while I listen to the game on the radio,"

"You know I hate watching the Knicks alone!" Gabe complains.

"So do I!"

Gabe growls, "This money will be coming out of your clothes budget, right?" her mama nods her head, "And you won't take the car anywhere but there and back," he got another nod, making him scratch his double chin, "Fine…maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip…and maybe if the brat apologizes for interrupting my poker game.

"Maybe if I kicked you in your soft spot…" Rhea thought, "Make you sing soprano for a week," but Rhea caught her mama's eyes and sighs, "I'm sorry," she mutters, "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now,"

Gabe's eyes narrow at her, trying to detect the sarcasm in her statement before he huffs, "Whatever,"

"Thank you, Rhea," her mama said, kissing her forehead, "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about…what scared you, ok?" For a moment, Rhea saw anxiety, no fear in her eyes…and once more Rhea wondered how much her mother knew…if her father told her the truth…

But then her smile returned and she ruffled her hair, leaving to make Gabe his food. Rhea stood there, turning to Leonidas who rumbles at her, and she petted his head making him croon.

It was storming on a beach, waves crashing harshly against the shore. Rhea stood there, watching as two beautiful Pokemon, a Rapidash with blue flames instead of the normal red and an Braviary, were trying to kill each other. The Braviary swooped down and slashed at the Rapidash's muzzle with its huge talons. The apidash reared up and kicked at the Braviary's wings. As they fought, a great golden light shined from the deep fog that floated over the waters, goading the Pokemon to fight harder.

"Who are you?" Rhea shivers, taking a step back as the voice, it was so dark, it turn her blood to ice. They were gasping for breath, as if even talking caused them pain, "So weak. So scared. So sad. But yet…so like her," the voice croons, "Run away, little hero, before you get hurt,"

Rhea stares, gulping but turns her attention back towards the two Pokemon as the Braviary dives down, its beak aimed at the horse;s wide eyes and she screamed.

Waking up with a start, Rhea gasps, blinking her eyes as the rain pours down heavily onto the camaro, "We're here," her mama said, her hand gently squeezing Rhea's shoulder, "You, ok?"

Rhea nods her head, rubbing her eyes, "On three?" her mama grins, taking her seatbelt off. And then yelling, calling her a cheater as Rhea pushes herself out of the car, running to the cabin.

Their rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Undella Bay. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There were always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in…but Rhea loved the place. Her mama and her have been going there since she was a baby and her mother even longer. She never exactly said why, but Rhea knew why the beach was special to her, as it was the place where she met her father.

As they did their cleaning routine, pening all the cabin windows, her mother seem to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea as we sat near the metal hearth that sat in the middle of the room. Roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, throwing blue corn chips to Leonidas and Murphy while munching on blue jellybeans, blue saltwater taffy and all the other free samples her mama gets. Her mama told her stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents had died in the plane crash. The adventures that she went on in Paldea, about climbing down in Area Zero and how that one day she hopes to write a book about it when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, Rhea asked the question that she always ask whenever they came to Montauk- her father. She knew she could ask Triton about him but…she didn't want to upset him. He was already taking time out of his day to train her…and it always felt different, more special when she asked her mother, "He was kind, Rhea," her mama smiles, petting Leonidas' head as her eyes grew misty, "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes. He said he inherited them from his mother," she fixes a blue jellybean out of her candy bag, "He would be so proud of you,"

Rhea wonder how she could say that sometimes. Rhea stares at the flames, rubbing the bracelet around her wrist, "I don't know about that mama. I'm used to feeling weird. I'm used to the world feeling weird to me. Like a puzzle with half the wrong pieces…when I was younger…I tried to pay attention…I really try, but...then I was daydreaming…I can't help it. But lately," her mama looks at her, with a frown on her face, "For the last year…it hasn't felt like daydreaming…it felt…"

"Real," her mama whispers, closing her eyes, "You saw something," Rhea nods her head, turning towards her mother, "Saw something that felt real to you but no one else could see."

"Y-yeah," Rhea whispers, her arms trembling, her legs feeling weak as she remembered Grover's look of panic-how he made her promise to not go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through her, feeling like someone- something- was watching her. Looking for her right now, maybe even stalking towards the cabin, growing long horrible talons.

"He warned me," Rhea's head snap to her, "They all warn me about this," she gently grabbed Rhea's arm, rubbing her thumb gently, "That keeping you close to me was a mistake…but there's was one opinion and before he left he told me of a place for me to send you…and…and I just couldn't do it…at the time I couldn't stand it…"

Rhea sat up, her heart pounding, "Mama…do…" she licks her lips, "Do you know who papa is…do you know…. What he is,"

Her mama's head snap to her, blue eyes met green eyes and heartbreak shine in them, "You know…do you mi estrella…you already know, don't you,"

"Si…El año pasado conocí a mi hermano... me dio a Murphy…" Rhea whispers, making Murphy, who was wrestling with Leonidas' tail look up at hearing his name.

"Oh baby…" her mama rubs her face, "I wish you told me…but si," she nodded her head, her shoulders tense, "I…can see things, since I was a little girl…things that no normal person could see and from the moment I first saw him, I knew that…that I had never met man like him before. And then I realized he was unlike any man I had ever met before because…he..he wasn't a man at all…he was a…"

"A god," Rhea stated and her mama looked like she was about to cry. "If I didn't know about this already I would be asking if this was like Jesus,"

Her mama snorts, "Not Arceus, Rhea…but...the stories...that I told you about the Parthenon Gods and heroes and monsters, they are real. In those stories, I have told you about how gods and mortals would sometimes have children together, children called demigods and sometimes they are known as half-bloods. And you, are a half-blood…and half-bloods are not safe in this world,"

She met Rhea's eyes, and a flood of memories came back to her. All weird and scary things that Rhea had tried to forget. During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked her on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed her when she told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye.

Before that, a really early memory. Rhea had been in preschool one time and a teacher accidentally put her dow for a nap in a cot that a Ekans had slithered into. Her mama had screamed when she had came to pick her up and found Rhea playing with a limp, scaly rope she had somehow managed to strangle to death with her meaty toddler hands.

Every time something strange had happened, something creepy, her mother had moved her…

"Once they reached a certain age, and they begin to understand what they are, terrible forces are drawn to them," her mama looked at her in terror, tears streaming down her face, "driven to harm them before they can become strong enough to fight back,"

Suddenly a pounding sound erupted on their door, "Who's there?!" her mama demands as Leonidas growls, crouching down as if to pounce.

"Mrs. Jackson! Its Grover! This is a little time sensitive. Could someone maybe open the door, please?"

Rhea blinks in shock as her mother sprang from the couch and threw open the lock, "I asked to have the night, you said we could all leave in the morning,"

Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But this wasn't the Grover she had been expecting. She always knew...but it…it was still quite a shock to see half of a goat sticking out of someone's pants.

"Sorry, I'm early but I didn't have any choice!" Grover explained and her mama turns to Rhea, looking at her in terror. But not scared of Grover, but why he'd come. "Things have changed, this is all developing a lot faster than we anticipated," Grover trotted in, shaking his shaggy hindquarters and sending droplets of water onto the wooden floor, "Okay, so something's coming and I know that sounds really bad, but the important thing is not to panic,"

"I'm not panicking," her mama said as she grabs her purse, tossing Rhea her rain jacket.

"Great! I'm also definitely not panicking," he smiles, and both Jacksons could see he was in fact, panicking, "I feel very good about how we're doing so far,"

"Grover!" Rhea and her mama snap, making him bleat in shock, trembling on his cloven hooves. Shaking her head, she opens the door again, "We will continue this in the car. Both of you. Go!"

Rhea and Grover looked at each other, before shrugging. Rhea grabbed Murphy as she ran for the Camaro, the storm blowing down harsh rain and lightning making false daylight.