Chapter Fifteen - Friday the Thirteenth

In a strange paradox, the punishment for leaving school without permission was somehow not being allowed to go back to school? At first, I failed to see how that could possibly be a punishment, until I remembered I was also completely confined to the apartment. Apparently being 'grounded' meant I wasn't allowed to go outside for anything except to go to school, which meant I wasn't even able to go on my morning runs on the weekend anymore.

It also meant no phone calls (not that I had anyone to call during the day while everyone was in school), no Iris Messages (can't blame a girl for trying), and no television. I couldn't even hang out at the park after school got out, either. Thankfully, the suspension only lasted a single week, and once it was over and I was finally allowed to go back to school, I was also able to hang out with my friends in between classes - I don't know if I would have survived the rest of the month otherwise.

Strangest of all was that while at some point in my absence, Cleo had somehow integrated herself into our group. Her presence seemed to even be grudgingly, if not fully, tolerated by Andromeda. The worst part was nobody would give me a straight answer about how it happened - and after almost a full month, I finally broke down and asked directly.

"Are you seriously not going to tell me how you started hanging out with everyone?" I asked.

"Huh, let me think," Cleo said, tapping her chin before smirking. "Nope."

"What?" I blinked. "Why not?"

"It's actually kind of funnier this way," she said.

"I'll just ask the others."

"I'll tell them not to say anything," Cleo laughed.

"Fine, then. Keep your secrets," I huffed.

"So," she said, switching the topic to what she no-doubt wanted to talk about all along. "When are you planning on teaching me some of that witchy magic you do?"

"Better to wait until after I'm not grounded any more," I said. "Don't want to raise too many alarms doing it at school. Andromeda would absolutely kill me, I just know it. I still can't believe you talked her into going along with it in the first place."

"I might have baited her," Cleo admitted. "I argued that playing dumb didn't stop me from losing my entire Summer to being a garden statue, and she seemed to grudgingly agree. Still, you're the one that's being roped into this."

"I don't mind," I said, truthfully. "You might not be able to go to our training-..."

"Summer camp," Cleo interrupted.

"...facility," I amended. "But I can teach you a thing or two about magic. You may not have an affinity that I can see, but you have enough potential that you should be capable of casting. Just don't expect to be throwing around fireballs on day one."

"What can I expect to be throwing on day one?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Insults," I said. "There's a lot of theory to go over before we can get started on the practical."

"Great, more homework," Cleo frowned, then asked; "So, do you have any ideas for what to get the twins for their birthday?"

"What?" I blinked. "Sorry, what? Who's birthday is when?"

"Andromeda and Andros," Cleo said, slowly. "Their birthday is on the thirteenth. You did know that, right?"

"What? Yeah, totally," I stammered.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "Totally."

"Sucks to be you," Cleo laughed.

As it turned out, my mom had already gotten a gift for Andromeda and her brother, and would be putting Percy's and my name on it. Apparently it was some super popular Playstation game from Japan that had been selling out almost as soon as it hit the shelves. I had to admit, I definitely wouldn't have come up with something half as good on my own - even if I had more time. Now all I had to do was wait until their birthday to give it to her... Them!

That Friday, Andromeda's mom came to pick us up after school to go to their house for the party. Unfortunately, I was running super late because that was when Mr. Bailey finally remembered that he'd wanted to talk to me after classes. I had hoped that he'd forgotten about whatever it was he'd wanted to discuss with me, but apparently not even my luck was that good.

"You wanted to see me," I said, knocking once on the open door to the classroom to announce my presence.

"I did," he replied.

"Will this take long?" I asked, taking a seat at my usual desk. "I'm pretty sure my ride is waiting for me."

"No, I don't think it will."

I frowned, "As much fun as it is being allowed to go back to school, I really do prefer being able to go home immediately at the end of the day."

"That's right," the teacher drawled, finally looking up from his papers. "If something doesn't hold your interest, then it doesn't matter, does it?"

"I just don't see anything wrong with not wanting to waste my time," I retorted.

"I see," Mr. Bailey said. "In that case, let us waste no more of either of our time. Would you allow me to look at your notebook? The one you were showing to Miss Mossinger the other day."

"I... Huh?" I blinked. "Oh, sure..."

Reaching into my backpack, I pulled out my notebook of magic notes. There wasn't any harm in letting him look, since he was a mortal and should be completely unable to use magic - if he even believed in it. Right?

"Here," I said, getting up and handing it over to him.

"Hm. You claim that you do this on your spare time?" He asked, flipping through the pages. "For entertainment?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "What about it?"

"This is all very advanced material," he said. "Especially for someone your age."

"I had a good private tutor," I said, thinking of Jo back in Indianapolis. I already enjoyed math before meeting her, but she'd definitely helped that interest grow and develop. Especially when I learned that I could apply it to my magical studies as well.

"I see," Mr. Bailey said, closing the notebook and handing it back to me. "Thank you, that is all I needed."

"Huh?" I blinked.

"You are free to go. I doubt you will want to miss your ride after all."

"Oh, shit, you're right!" I said, hurriedly shoving my notebook into my bag and rushing out of the classroom - ignoring his chastising of my choice of language in the process. Thankfully, Desi seemed to accept my explanation of being kept after classes by a teacher, and didn't press for more information.

I'd heard Andromeda refer to her home as 'the Farm House' in the past, and from my first look at the place as we pulled up the driveway, I thought that it seemed an appropriate descriptor. Annabeth might have said it was a 'lovingly restored, two story turn of the century Colonial' - but architecture was kind of her special interest, so she'd probably be right. To me, it was a large house painted white with dark shutters. There even seemed to be what looked like an old barn in the back yard!

"Stay away from the barn. It was never renovated with the rest of the place," Andromeda said, speaking up as if reading my mind. "Also, there's a whole horde of feral cats that live in there, and they'll probably eat you or something if you get too close."

"They're not going to eat you," Andros said. "They just don't like her. Pretty sure she stepped on one of their tails when we were younger."

"I did not!" Andromeda protested. "They just hate me. Plus, they're always chasing me."

"They chase you because you run from them," Andros pointed out. "You know better than to run from dogs, but not cats?"

"Plus, aren't cats like... more predatory than dogs?" Percy asked. "Like... Sharper claws, sharper teeth, plus they can climb."

"Percy? I don't think you're helping as much as you think you are," I said, noting how pale Andromeda was becoming.

Thankfully, the car came to a stop in the driveway not much longer. Seriously... Have I ever mentioned how much I hate being in a car? Having naturally been the last one to get in, I was of course the first one out - and right into a solid block of muscle.

"Oof!" I said, as I gracefully fell on my ass. "What the...?"

I looked up to see a tall man with sandy brown hair standing over me. While not particularly bulky, his shoulders were broad and his arms were notably muscular. It took me a moment to realize that he was wearing a short sleeve shirt and that what I had mistaken for sleeves were tattoos of highly stylized Greek monsters.

"Sorry about that," The man said as he reached down to help me up. "You must be Penny. I'm..."

"Uncle Coop!" Andromeda shouted, excitedly leaping out of the van to tackle the man in a crushing hug.

Looking around, I noticed some other kids hanging out on the front porch. One, an older teenage boy, with shaggy black hair and piercings and two younger kids, one girl and one... maybe a boy? Both had red hair, but wildly different auras.

"Hey kiddo," the now named man said with an easy grin, as if Andromeda wasn't squeezing his internal organs out of place with her bare arms. "It's been, what... Eight, maybe ten hours?"

"That doesn't count," Andromeda frowned. "I'd just woke up, and I had to go to school. Plus, you didn't even wish me and my brother a Happy Birthday before we left."

"You sure?" He asked. "That doesn't sound like me."

"Are you seriously doubting my memory?" Andromeda frowned.

"Well, in that case, let me say it now," Coop said, gesturing to the kids on the porch. As one, they all moved aside to reveal another familiar girl with blonde curls. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."

"Annabeth!" Andromeda squealed, rushing passed 'uncle Coop' to pull the blonde girl into a crushing bear hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going back to your dad's place."

"I was. I mean, I am," Annabeth said, once she'd had a moment to catch her breath. "My dad said he had some 'personal business' to take care of in Boston, and decided to surprise me with a trip out here. Apparently he even called your mom ahead of time to make sure I could spend the whole weekend with you guys while he did whatever it was he's doing."

"Mom?!" Andromeda gasped, eyes wide as she turned to her mother.

"Surprise," Desi grinned, then turned to Coop. "And thank you for picking everyone up."

"That's why you pay me the big bucks," Coop winked, laughing as Desi shoved him.

I blinked, more than a little confused at the byplay. Thankfully, Andromeda's brother spoke up; "That's uncle Coop. He's not really mom's brother, but he is a son of Apollo, and he knew our aunt before..." He trailed off. "Anyway, he helps out around the place. Picks up the other kids and keeps an eye on us when mom has other business."

"So they're not dating?" I asked, bluntly.

"Gods no!" He said, his face twisting as if the mere thought made him physically sick. "He might not be her actual brother, but it's close enough. He's just uncle Coop."

"Oh," I said. "Okay."

"Is everything set up?" Desi asked.
"Almost," Coop replied. "Just need to put up some finishing touches. We only got here a little bit before you did."

"In that case, Andromeda. Andros. Why don't you show the Jacksons around the property?" Desi suggested.

"Huh? Oh, okay," Andromeda said. "Come on, Penny."
"Guess that means you're stuck with me," Andros said to Percy as I hurried over to where Andromeda was still talking to Annabeth.

"Somehow, I think I'll survive," Percy replied.