So I'm putting HEOHIF back up but with no inappropriate content :3 K? Good.
So this is pretty much a story about the quarter-blood daughters of Percy and Annabeth having very rough lives. You may cry, but whenever I say this, no one ever does. So I don't think anyone will cry. So I've killed of a canon-character before and I'm doing it again! The daughters names are Vianna and Amberlynn. I'll make their character pages in a little while. So here it is. TATN / Thalia! 05:38, March 17, 2010 (UTC)
Prologue, Still Adolescent.
Percy's POV.
It was a rainy afternoon. She was born peacefully. Annabeth had almost crushed my hand for the twelve hours she’d been in labour but I was fine now. We were both nineteen, Annabeth and I. She cried after our daughter was born. She was sad. We were still so young.
"We’re too young." She whimpered.
I furrowed my brows and tried to calm her. Remember, I’m Percy. I suck at cheering people up. And I totally mean that. Whenever I try, they always end up crying more. I tried to tell her we’d be great parents. She would grow up to be the finest daughter any one could ever ask for.
"We’re too young, Percy. We're only nineteen." Annabeth tried to dry her tears.
"I'm turning twenty in, like, I dunno about six months. We'll be adults soon enough, Annabeth." I coaxed, not wanting to abandon my first born child.
"Yeah, and I'm turning twenty in, oh, about six weeks. I don't think we'll be able to pull it off and have enough time for her."
My shoulders slumped. "Please. Please, Annabeth. We can even get married."
"That's the thing. We're not married. I wanted to be married before she was born. But no. Percy, we can give her up for adoption. She'll be loved and cared for by some woman who's not lucky enough to have children of her own."
"But look, she looks a lot like you."
"She has green eyes."
"Her hair is blonde! What else do you want?"
"To put her up for adoption."
"Fine." I grumbled. "We'll put her up for adoption... But again, why?"
Annabeth sighed heavily. "Because we're still adolescent teens. We're not even close to adults. Or at least you aren't intellectually."
I looked away, not wanting to show her how much that hurt me. We'd been officially dating (sometimes on and off) for about three years, becoming four this summer. She was the only girl I knew that loved me and wasn't related to me. We'd had our fights. But hey, if you totally love someone, you'll keep loving until the end of time. But apparently our child didn't please her. I was angered by that.
There was only one woman we knew who wasn't allowed to have kids. Thalia. She even offered to be the adoptive mother of our daughter. Of course, she got kicked out of Artemis's Hunters but didn't seem to care too much. She named the kid Vianna. It meant alive in Latin. About three years later, we heard of Thalia's wedding to Luke. They were a cute couple.
The week after Thalia's wedding, Annabeth announced she was pregnant again. We were both happy. You could just see the baby bump beginning to form underneath Annabeth's newly tight shirt.
"This time..." Annabeth started her promise. "I swear on the River Styx that we won't give it up."
"Good. I want a child now." I kissed her.
The nine months passed slowly and painfully. Annabeth vomited and was overall more sick than the last pregnancy. By around nine months, she'd been bedridden for a week already. She'd only been allowed to stand up to use the bath room. She'd been less demanding but was still demanding. She was tired all he time. After our second daughter was born, Annabeth kept bleeding. They tried everything.
"I love you, Percy." She murmured.
"Annabeth, don't leave me." I pleaded.
"I don't have... A choice... Kiss me one last time... please."
I fulfilled her final wish as life left her body. All I had left of Annabeth Jackson was a baby girl. She didn't even look like her mother. Annabeth Jackson was gone forever. I had tried bargaining with Hades but he told me to accept her death. It was hard to raise Amberlynn on formula. The house was empty without Annabeth. But it was like she lingered, like her presence hung over the house. Rumours of her death were whispers at Camp Half-Blood. My other half was gone forever.
Chapter One, Troubled Two-Year Old.
Vianna's POV.
"Mummy!" I whined. "I thought you said we could get ice-cream cones!"
"Yah, Annie Thaya." Griped my cousin, Amberlynn. (Translation to baby language: "Yeah, Aunty Thalia.")
"Well, you two weren't well behaved. So you don't get ice-cream cones when you scream and yell and kick." Mummy sternly told Amberlynn and I.
When we got back to my house, Amberlynn sat on the swing set we had. But she didn't play. She sat there and looked sad while I swung. I was older than her. I was almost six and she was almost three. We were as close as cousins.Even though we weren't. We weren't even related but we were best friends, sisters, and cousins at the same time. I told her everything I knew and we never even fought. I even told her where babies came from. My mummy and daddy had told me not long after my little brother Adam was born.
"What's wrong, Amber?" I asked her, swinging to and fro.
"I nevah knew muh mummy. My daddy keep many pitchers of her, though. She was vehy pitty. I have her eyes, my daddy tezz me. But I have his dahk haih. He toll me once that my mummy's dead." Amberlynn muttered sadly. (I never knew my mummy. My daddy keeps many pictures of her, though. She was very pretty. I have her eyes, my daddy tells me. But I have his dark hair. He told me once that my mummy's dead.)
"Oh. I know my mummy and daddy. My mummy is a lot younger than my daddy."
We were chatting and I was trying to console Amberlynn when Adam came into the backyard to play. He was the same age as Amber. His hair was black and his sin was paler that mine. His eyes were different shades of blue, one startling icy blue, the other deep and shiny like the sky after a storm. He looked a lot more like mummy than I did. I frowned as Amberlynn started to cry. She was too young to miss her mummy already and be what my mummy said was emotionally scarred.
Amberlynn could be such a baby sometimes. When she didn't get her way, she cried. I only cried when I was sad or lonely. I was lonely a lot. Most of the other kids in my grade one class thought I was weird. I had no friends in my class. Whenever we had to do partner work, the person who was my partner groaned and complained about it and did everything themselves while I watched.
My mummy told me why. She said that the Greek gods were real and that she was a daughter of Zeus and daddy was a son of Hermes. I got what she was talking about right away. She told me that Percy was a son of Poseidon and Amberlynn's mother had been a daughter of Athena. The bottom-line was that I just wanted to be loved.
Amberlynn's POV.
When I got home from staying with Aunty Thalia, daddy was home. I called out for him, wanting him to come pick me up like he would normally and give me a big kiss on the head. Instead, I heard a woman's voice gasp. I saw daddy come out of the living room to see me. His clothes were all wrinkled and messy. His hair was tangled and he wiped something pinkish of his cheeks.
"Daddy!" I squealed. He look like he'd just gotten home from work an hour ago. I wanted him to hug me. He bent down and picked me up.
"Hey, Amber. How's it going?" Daddy tussled my hair.
"Good." I snuggled in to his warm body.
"Sweetie... We need to talk."
I frowned a little bit. This usually meant that I was in trouble. He sat me down on the couch. He pulled me onto his lap when he sat down. A woman peered at me from one of our other seats. She had reddish-brown hair and green eyes. Her hair was really curly. I like that kind of hair. She wore messy clothes like daddy but they weren't work clothes.
"Amber. This is Rachel. She's daddy's girlfriend. She's going to often visit us and you should be nice to her." Daddy instructed.
I nodded. I knew what a girlfriend was. Vianna had told me. It meant two people who loved each other, but not as much as a mummy and daddy. Rachel smiled a fake smile at me. I could tell it was fake. It made me feel almost hurt inside. I was supposed to be nice to her. This was going in a bad direction.
Chapter Two, Close To My Heart, Darkness Grows.
Amberlynn's POV.
Just one week ago, our house had been full of presents and blue birthday cake. It's been my seventh birthday. Vianna was the only girl there that had shown up on her own free-will. The other girls there were around the same age as me and in my class. I pleaded every day with my dad to let me go to Camp Half-blood, where he and my mother went. Maybe there I could go through old files and find my mothers. Maybe could find out more about her. Maybe I could escape having to be the flower girl at Dad and Rachel's wedding.
"Dad!" I carried on. "Let me go to camp! You told me you'd let me!"
"Amberlynn, I meant when you were older. Not at age seven. You wouldn't fit in at this age. The people there are like the big kids at your school. They pay you no attention. Besides, you wouldn't be able to train. All the training weapons are much too big for a little girl like you." Dad told me, the most serious look on his face.
"But da-a-a-ad!"
"What about missing Rachel and I's wedding? Don't you want to be the flower girl?"
"No! I don't! I hate Rachel!"
Dad looked like he'd been expecting that. I started to cry, not wanting to be punished. Rachel looked down at me with a scowl. I sobbed a little bit. I ran off to my room. I sat on my bed. I took my favourite stuffed animal, Bubbles the fish, and hugged him tightly. Bubbles had been my father's when he was a little boy. I could never picture my dad as a little boy. And only a few times had I seen a little boy. I went to an all girl's elementary school. We had to wear uniforms with short skirts, knee high socks, Mary-Jane shoes, and button-up blouses. Sometimes on my way home from school, I could hear older boys shout a bad word to the older girls.
Vianna had told me a lot of words so my vocabulary was bigger than most seven year old girls. When I'd asked, she told me what the bad word meant. She said it was a woman who liked to try to have babies with many different men. Vianna gave me many different talks. She mostly gave me talks about what would happen if my dad got Rachel pregnant. I loathed the thought. I didn't want any one, or thing, related to Rachel living with me.
About another week later, it was time for Rachel and dad's wedding. Rachel went off to the church first. I don't know why they were getting married there. We didn't even believe in God. We believed in the gods and goddesses of Olympus. But I guess it would please Mr. and Mrs. Dare, Rachel's parents. Dad woke me up at eight AM and asked me if I wanted to do anything special with my straight black hair. I didn't know that many thing to do with hair, so he gave me some suggestions.
"You could bun it, have pigtails, curl your hair, put it like your mother liked to do when she was going to something formal." Dad offered.
"What about curly pigtails?" I asked. Dad smiled and helped me with my hair. Vianna arrived just after I'd gotten my dress on. My dad said I looked really pretty. Vianna took me into our bathroom and asked me if I wanted a little bit of make-up on. I'd never worn make-up before! I trusted her because she told me she'd put on a little bit of her mother's.
When she was finished, I looked in the mirror. I looked even better! There was a light little hint of gold to my eyelids and more colour in my cheeks. She'd put something on my eyelashes to make them longer and darker. She said dad wouldn't notice. She then took a fake rose from our flower vase in the bathroom and snapped it so there was only a small stub of plastic. We had to use fake flowers because Rachel was allergic to flower pollen.
Vianna took the rose and jabbed it into one of my pigtails. I didn't even wince. She took another and did the same with the other pigtail. I looked ravishing, as Vianna put it. The wedding went slowly and I had to stand there all the time, holding a woven basket full of rose petals. Rachel looked pretty. But I would never say that aloud. After the wedding was the reception. We ate and chatted. Vianna and I sat with the bridesmaids and dad's friends. We all sat at one long table.
For one month after the wedding, I had to stay at Aunty Thalia's. Dad had gone on a honeymoon with Rachel. And no little girls were allowed. Vianna told me about how her mum was pregnant again but couldn't tell her dad yet. We both hoped for the baby to be a girl so we could play together. I told Vianna about how I didn't want a sibling that was related to Rachel.
Whenever my cousin and I told each other secrets, we had to chant out friendship chant. Our friendship chant was, 'mind-meld, mind-meld, mind-meld.' Adam was part of our little group. We were one big group. No one could break us apart. Adam was the same age as me, a little older. He was born in July, I was born in August. When I got home from my stay at Aunty Thalia's, Rachel announced she was going to have a baby.
For some reason, I felt like I resented the gods for screwing up my life.
Chapter Three, Poor Little Girl.
Vianna's POV.
I pulled out my iPod shortly after Amberlynn left. She reminded me of the girls I knew at school who dyed their hair black and wore all black. I turned up the volume to my favourite song, Viva La Gloria, Little Girl. It was by Greenday off of an album that was released three or four years before my birth. It reminded me of Amberlynn. That is, when she's older. Adam sat next to me on the ground, reading some book.
He'd only learned how to read a few years earlier. I had learned how to read very quickly, by about three years. I was already reading things like Wicked Lovely and My Sister The Vampire. I listened to songs at a really loud volume hat hurt my ears until my mum tore the ear-buds out of my ears and told me it was time for dinner. The next day, I returned to school after a long weekend.
I was in grade five already. My teacher, Ms Kerr was evil. She was always wearing some form of leather jacket and had a Georgian accent. I always rolled my eyes as she called out my name, asking for an answer. I had ADHD and ADD and dyslexia from my parents so spelling was hard for me. I knew a lot of words and I remembered how to spell most of them but it could be hard. By the end of the school year, I was graduating to middle school.
For most of the girls in my class, that was a small thing. But for me, it was huge. I had gotten through the school year without being killed by monsters. My parents made me take a Celestial bronze knife to school so I wouldn't get killed. They said it was a copy of my aunt's. Over the summer, my baby sister, May, was growing up. She looked more like dad. She had brown-ish hair and ice blue eyes. She had mum's skin though. Freckles dotted her nose.
Amberlynn's twin half-brothers were born a few days before May. May was named after my grandma. I had never met my grandma. My dad rarely spoke of her and I don't know why. I'd always wanted to meet her but dad said no. During the summer, my parents wanted to talk to me. Mum looked like she'd been crying. Dad looked serious. I felt out of place. I was worried. Adam walked in only to be shooed out.
"Vianna. This is very important and we should've told you earlier." Mum took many deep breaths.
"Your mother is right. You can't take this lightly." Dad growled.
Mum took another deep breath. "Sweetie, we're not your real parents."
"What?!" I screamed. All my life, I'd called them mum and dad. Now, I was supposed to call them Uncle Luke and Aunty Thalia?
"Yes. You are Amberlynn's sister. Annabeth and Percy are your parents. We're technically not related to you in any way."
"What happened to my real mum, Annabeth?"
"She died shortly after the birth of Amberlynn."
"Did she raise me at all?"
"I'm afraid not. She gave you to us. She was so young for a child. She was only nineteen."
I felt angry and sad at the same time. That's why Amber and I looked so alike. We were sisters. Technically, Rachel was my step-mum and her twin boys were half-brothers. I ran to my room. I skipped dinner and hauled out my big hiking backpack. When everyone had gone to bed, I packed a few sandwiches, snacks, clothes, blankets and three two litre bottle of water. I took my teddy and knife and crawled out my first-storey window.
It felt so good to be free. I was running free for once. I was only eleven and running away. By the time I got to Central Park, I lied down and slept on a pile of blankets. In the morning, I packed up and ran again. Farther, through traffic, away.
Luke's POV.
The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of our room. I awoken by a shriek. I ran to the kids' room to see Vianna's empty bed. There was a note taped to her pillow. Her sheets were gone. Thalia was crying. Adam was already awake and asking what was wrong. He couldn't seem to understand the note, I knew why after a minute. It was written in Ancient Greek. Thalia tried to read it to me but stumbled often. I took it and read it.
It pretty much said that Vianna had run away and was never returning. The more angry and sad I got, the longer it took me to read it. I breathed through clenched. Adam looked up at me and furrowed his black eyebrows. I gave him a sad smile. Thalia looked up at me, her tears near black with mascara. I touched her shoulder.
"Vianna..." She blubbered. "So... young..."
Chapter Four, History Repeats Itself.
Amberlynn's POV.
I hadn't seen my cousin Vianna in a long time since after the twins' birth. I was told by my father the day I got suspicious that she'd run away. I known that was going to happen. I nodded off my sadness and went to my room. I hugged my fish-teddy Bubbles and almost cried. Vianna was my best friend. All the other girls at school thought I was weird. Vianna was really my only friend. I wanted her back. She was twelve and I was stuck at being seven. She was older and prettier than me. I had to find her. I knew where to look.
That night when dad and Rachel were asleep, I packed my backpack full of non-perishable food that didn't require cooking. I packed it with a few blankets, my knife that had belonged to my mother, and Bubbles. I was lucky I was still small. I pushed my bag through my bedroom window onto a huge shrub. After I'd closed the window I crawled through the doggy door we had. It had been there when my mum and dad had bought the house and they couldn't get rid of it. I found my backpack and ran towards Central Park.
I had my mother's keen sense of direction. And the water helped me. Poseidon was my grandpa. I arrived at Central Park by twelve o'clock. I tried my best to find Vianna but the park was too big for me to search alone. I was walking alone in the darkness, my flash-light guiding the way. I was kind of scared of the dark. There was some form of hissing sound behind me. I turned slowly to see a satyr standing behind me.
"Woah! Get that thing out of my eyes!" Screamed the female satyr.
"Who are you!?" I demanded.
"My name is Kayla! I know where Vianna went. I can get you there faster."
"Fine. If you didn't already know, I'm Amberlynn."
"Yeah. You're Percy's kid, eh?"
I nodded. "You know my dad?"
"Sure do, kiddo. I'm his best friend, Grover's cousin. Now come on. I can smell her trail getting fainter."
I ran with Kayla all along a weird place that seemed so familiar, but not in the eerie darkness. Finally, we came to a familiar looking cabin. It was on the Long Island Sound, Montauk. Dad had brought me here before. It was so nice. Kayla brought me into the cabin. In the room where my dad had used to sleep, Vianna was crashed. She was asleep and sprawled over the bed.
"Vianna!" I cried excitedly.
She stirred and awoke to see Kayla and I. She almost screamed but stopped herself. Her eyes were wide. She loved being surprised to see me. She got out of bed and hugged me tightly. A few of her clothes were strewn across the room, jeans, t-shirts, sweatshirts, panties, and bras. It looked like she'd been here for quite sometime.
"Amber! How did you find me!?" Vianna squealed.
"Kayla helped me. I missed you!" I exclaimed.
"Now that I've found you, I need to show you something. It's so amazing!"
"Camp?" Kayla asked.
"No. Could you please leave?" Vianna retorted. I guess she doesn't like satyrs.
Kayla shrugged and walked out of the cabin. Vianna looked at me seriously. "We need to ditch her." She whispered very softly. I could barely hear her. "There's a back exit and she can't run fast enough if you're on my back. Sure she can follow our scent but not if we use the river."
I nodded. She quickly packed up and we ran out the back. The wind in my hair felt so nice. The cool nigh air gnawed at my cheeks, chin, and nose, turning them pink-ish. We ran across the slight current of the East River and got back to Manhattan a few moments later. Vianna ran with me until we got to an alleyway. There was nothing for a second until an older boy's voice called out something in Ancient Greek.
"Vianna! I have a guest." Vianna replied.
A boy emerged from the shadows. He had spiky brown hair with blonde streaks. His eyes could be seen even in the darkness, his eyes shone a lustrous shade of vivid green. When I say vivid, I mean, they were almost like cartoon eyes. He smiled when he saw me. His skin was very fair. He chuckled slightly.
"So Vianna. Your sister?" He asked, in an accent I didn't know. Vianna nodded. "Hey, Amberlynn." He crouched next to me. "I'm Xerxes. I'm from Greece."
"Xerxes, don't interrogate her." Vianna snapped.
Xerxes stood up. He pushed some of his short spiky hair out of his face. "Love, you know I'll do anything for you." He whispered. I walked around in the alleyway until I found a covered area with blankets underneath. I took my blankets out and lied them next to the ones that looked like Vianna's. I fell asleep after a few moments. I had found somewhere safe.
Chapter Five, Runaways.
Vianna's POV.
It was late afternoon by the time we got going again. I wouldn't even admit it to Amber, but I had a huge crush on Xerxes. He called me 'love'. I had asked him why once. He told me because he was used to talking to his mother, whom he always called love. Amber didn't much fit in. She was like that stray puzzle piece that never found a home. I felt bad for her. She resented me for loving Xerxes.
That night, we were roaming New York at night and trying to see what constellations we could. I found Orion, The Huntress, and the Big Dipper. Amber was too young to see what shapes they made. Thalia had taught me the constellations, being an ex-Hunter Of Artemis. Xerxes had even grabbed my hand. H smiled as he looked over at me. I knew he was a son of Zeus so I didn't dare trust his body language.
"Night time has been ruined by pollution." I muttered.
"Is it that hard to understand, Vianna?" Xerxes asked me, sitting up and pulling me up with him. I knit my eyebrows together and looked confused until he kissed me. I kissed him back, happy he liked me too.
Amberlynn's POV.
I watched as Vianna and Xerxes swapped spit. I made gagging noises under my breath. Vianna looked clouded with dreaminess after the kiss. Xerxes smiled at her widely. I got up and started walking away. They started to follow me. I ran back to our little base and got ready for bed. I fell asleep crying softly. The next day, Xerxes told us he needed a sword and Vianna dared him to try and get a Stygian iron blade.
Stygian iron is only available in the Underworld. We went to the doors of Orpheus and Vianna played her iPod really loud. We got to the Underworld and started looking. We checked Asphodel first, wanting to start out without any screams or swears. We didn't find anything so we moved on to the Fields Of Punishment. We went through, me covering my ears. At first, everything seemed okay. Until Xerxes shouted something that I could barely make out through my covered ears.
"Keres!" He shouted as I slowly took my hands away. Xerxes doesn't have a weapon and stayed between Vianna and I, who had knives. I got knife skill form my mother, I bet she did too. We deflected every shot and parried them but soon, Vianna cried out in pain. The Keres cackled and ran off. Vianna was on the ground, nearly in tears with pain.
"Vianna!" I yelled, running over to her. Xerxes was already trying to help her up but she screamed as he touched her wound, her right shoulder.
We got her up and in Greek, Xerxes told me she needed to be taken to Olympus. Right now.
Percy's POV.
It was not long after Amberlynn's disappearance that I got worried. I mean, she'd run away before but only for short periods of time. Not almost one month. Rachel seemed to not care. I missed my daughter. I wanted to see her dark hair and light eyes once more. Then, after I started to worry, Grover's cousin, Kayla knocked on our door. She told us about something she'd heard Vianna say.
"She said something about a special place. I don't know what she meant, but reading her emotions I found love, fear, and apprehensiveness. Vianna definitely has some secret she isn't telling anyone." Kayla told us, her brown eyebrows knit.
"Oh no." I muttered, letting my head fall into my hands. Maybe the secret she was keeping was that she was going to raise Kronos again. And the whole thing that had happened with Luke would happen again. Only this time, with my daughters.
Chapter Six, Not Even Magic.
Vianna's POV.
At first, the pain from the scratch of the Keres hadn't been so unbearable. But as Amber and Xerxes made a makeshift stretcher out of blankets, it was burning. I kept screaming, possibly making a few residential people around here call nine-one-one. We were just off of the upper east side and had a long way on foot to get to Olympus. I tried to calm myself, to stay quiet. But since I'm a Quarter-blood, not a half-blood, I have more mortal DNA. Therefore, decreasing my time of living if swiped by a Kere.
Really, I wish I could tell you how I had some deep revelation, an epiphany, on my way to Olympus. That I had wished I hadn't been so rude to my enemies, that I'd had no enemies in the first place. Or that I'd actually seen my mother, at least once, and gotten a big hug from her. And that at least for one night, I had gone to bed with my father in the other room, and my sister and I sharing a bunk-bed.
But I'd be lying. My only thoughts were, Ouch. Ouch. Don't scream. Don't scream... Oh hey, I'm biting my tongue so hard it's bleeding! Think of something comfy, something you like... Chocolate... DANGIT! It's not working! Fuuuuuu-....
I stayed in quiet, tasting the fresh blood in my mouth. By the time we arrived at the Empire Sate building, my breathing was slowing. My heart started to skip beats every couple of minutes. Then, every two minutes. Every minute. Until it was a slow rhythm. My breathing became slow steady pants. When we got into the building, the guy at the head desk asked us something and Xerxes replied. Amber called out something but I couldn't make out anything.
I started to feel cold, then a warm blanket wrapped around me. Well, not really, but you get the idea. I felt warm again. The warmth made my eyelids droop. I started to close them and forgot about the pain. We entered Olympus, probably a few minutes of my life remaining. I closed my eyes and saw a light at the end of a dark tunnel. Then, I was on a cold hard floor, on my bloody blanket. I didn't open my eyes, the things I saw were too nice.
They changed into the most neutral place possible. There were people whispering amongst themselves so low I couldn't hear them. They were kind of see through and grey. Then it changed again, this time, people rolling boulders up steep hills just for it to roll back down as soon as it had almost reached the top. People were drowning over and over again, running through cactus patches, and almost worst of all, listening to opera music with their hands and feet clamped so they couldn't cover their ears. I tried to wake myself but found it almost impossible. I could feel my life ticking away with every heartbeat. The dream switched back to Asphodel, the neutral one.
I soon found myself materializing in a long line of other people like me. But I still held some life. I had to protect Amberlynn, tell her we were sisters. Just before I was fully there, I felt a spring of life. I couldn't see, couldn't hear. But I could tell I wasn't dead.
Amberlynn's POV.
We called for Apollo. Instead, we got Poseidon. Just as life was nearly gone from Vianna, he turned her into sea coral. It was nice of him. She was now in the waters of Camp-Half-blood. I bowed before my grandfather. He told me to stand, he hated that kind of thing. I stood awkwardly and walked away to cry. I left Olympus without anyone. Xerxes chased after me after a few seconds.
"Wait up. She never told you something." Xerxes panted, running up behind me.
"When we get to camp, you should tell me." I grouched, blinking away the tears that stung my eyes.
"No. You and Vianna... You were her favourite. She loved you a lot. And she wants you to be happy."
"Happy?!" I exclaimed scornfully. "How am I supposed to be happy when my sister just died?! Or was turned into coral."
I skulked off, towards where I thought was Camp. It was near Montauk and I knew my way to Montauk. I left Xerxes behind me, not listening to him. I tried to forget the pain but it gnawed at my heart, finally forcing me to break down into tears.
Chapter Seven, Time Won't Heal This Damage Any More.
Amberlynn's POV.
Where do you go with your broken heart in tow? What do you do with the leftover you? And how does one know just when to let go? Where does all the good in the gods go?
I had the answer to all of these questions. One, you go to Camp Half-Blood and pretend to be normal like everyone else. Two, you forget about it and move on with life. Three, when you start obsessing and losing your mind over practically nothing. Four, when you're me, there is no good in the gods.
I was sixteen years old now. I was wearing black clothing and dark lipstick. I had mascara and heavy eye-liner on. I was wearing a pair of black leggings and my dark-colourful dress. It was about down to my thighs. Xerxes stayed in the Zeus cabin and Vianna remained a piece of coral.
Today, I received a letter from my father. Yes, my father. He told me to come home when summer was over. He told me he loved me. I knew it was too good to be true but I went any ways. Today had been the end of summer. I got driven near my home by Argus. It looked the same. A small garden in the flower boxes underneath the windows, a small driveway and front lawn, and the same old two story house I'd been born in.
I opened the door, my duffel bag slung over my shoulder. Dad was in the living room. By now he was what? Thirty-seven. He looked younger though. His dark hair was still messy as usual, but still short. His eyes were green as seaweed. Rachel walked in, wearing jeans and a green t-shirt. Her hair was long and curly. Her eyes were green too, like dad's. But she had this fake smile that made anger and hate flare up.
"You came back!" Dad hugged me tightly. The twins', Brendan and Mackenzie, were sitting on the couch, watching TV. They were nine years old. I thought about how much I had missed and almost felt like crying.
"Dad..." Mackenzie asked slowly. "Who is she?"
Dad looked over at them. "Amberlynn. Your half-sister."
They looked doubtful but shrugged and turned back to the TV. I spent a while at my real house, then I went to tell the horrible news to Luke and Thalia, the adoptive parents of Vianna. When I stepped foot inside the house, a boy around my age gave me a bear hug. It was Adam, V- I mean, aunt Thalia and uncle Luke's kid. There was another girl in the house as well, probably around ten years old, appeared behind Adam.
"Amber!" Adam pulled back from the bear hug. "I'm glad to see you again. How come it's been so long? And where's Vi?"
"Well... That's what I wanted to talk about." I muttered sheepishly. "Are your parents around?"
"Yeah. They got back from work about an hour ago. They're in the kitchen."
I murmured a thank you and headed for the kitchen. They had a nice house, small but not too small. I came across Luke and Thalia in the kitchen, whispering to each other. They didn't notice me until I cleared my throat loudly. They jumped and looked at me. Smiles were now plastered on their once serious faces.
"Please tell us Vianna is well!" Thalia pleaded.
"I know that what I'm gonna tell you, will make you sad beyond belief." I growled, not daring to meet their eyes.
"Oh sh*t..." Luke muttered.
"Vianna is technically still alive!" I protested. "She was just turned into coral... Because she was dying... Hey, look on the bright side, she's alive!"
Thalia looked away, tears rolling down her cheeks. I wasn't crying at all. I never cried over my sister's death any more. She was gone and that was fate. There was no other way to describe it. There was no way to put it lightly either. Luke comforted Thalia as I leaned against the wall, taking in the fact that I was here.
When I got home, it was seven. I hadn't eaten dinner and had no intent of doing so. I just took a shower, read for a really long time, and went to bed. I felt a familiar ache as I pulled the blankets over myself. The ache of loneliness.
Chapter Eight, Life Of Hardships.
Vianna's POV.
It all happened so quickly. One second I could feel myself dying, the next I was a piece of coral that often cut campers' feet. Then, after about five seconds, I was sputtering walking out of the water. I spat some of the lake water onto the sand and looked around. The light of summer kept me warm but hurt my eyes. I stood on shaky legs. I think I was about a foot taller than before. My breathing was even, like I'd just woken up.
Xerxes was sitting on the grass a few feet away, zoned out completely. I ran towards him.
"Vianna?" Xerxes looked shocked to see me.
I hugged him tightly. "I love you." I whispered.
"What? Aren't you supposed to be coral?"
"I don't know what happened. It just did."
Xerxes looked utterly confused. He hugged me back though, tightly. I asked him about Amber and he told me she'd gone home. I thanked him and told him I'd be back later. I ran off, outside the camp barriers. Hey, if everyone -except one- thought you were still a piece of coral at the bottom of the lake, you didn't have to tell them you were leaving.
I ran over the property line and tried to remember where I had used to visit. It was about a block away from my old house. I caught a bus to around the block bus stop and got out. The fresh air felt nice on my face. I ran to the blue house that Amberlynn lived in. I couldn't wait to get to it. I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. When I had found my forever lost home, I knocked quickly on the door. I heard a teen girl's voice yell that she was getting it. My heart pumped. It was Amber. I hadn't seen her in so long.
"Hello?" A girl wit black hair and thick black make-up answered. She wore Goth style clothing.
"Amber? It's Vi. I'm back." I told her. Her eyes widened and she opened the screen door quickly. I hugged her tightly.
We talked forever and ever about how she'd been and her life. She said that she had become Goth because I hadn't been there. I felt guilty, for letting myself die like that and scarring a seven year old into becoming Gothic. She didn't cry. As soon as Per- dad- heard us talking, he came in to investigate. His mouth hung open for a minute and his eyes bugged out. He cried as he hugged me and murmured my name. I'd nearly forgotten he was my real father.
I spent the night at my real home and met my half-brothers, Mackenzie and Brendan. They were both super adorable! Their hair was a weird shade of dark brown and a hint of red. They had green eyes and were overall really cute. One night turned into one week. One week into one month. After a while, Amber told me she needed to tell me something. She sat on my bed next to me.
"I have a secret." Amberlynn whispered barely loud enough for me to hear.
I grinned. "What is it?" I asked.
"A-a boy in my history class asked me out."
"Awww! What did you say?"
"Yes, duh!"
"What's his name?"
"Todd. Todd Hewitt."
I was happy for Amberlynn. This was like the first good thing that had ever happened to her. I had a feeling in my gut though. A feeling of distrust. A feeling that told me to tell my sister to not believe this guy. To not trust him. Because he would hurt her.
Chapter Nine, Love Issues.
Amberlynn's POV.
WARNING:: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS IMPLIED S*X
It was my tenth date with Todd. He was Goth as well. We were both decked out all in black. I was in love with him. We'd kissed and I was sure we were a perfect couple. I snuggled into his arms as we listened to the beach's waves. He told me about how he was just going to school here in New York. He really lived in Miami on a seaside mansion. I longed to see it but he told me to come with him to his apartment.
Todd lived with his older brother, Marcus, who was in college and had a job and let Todd stay with him. When we got into his room, he kept assuring me that no one was home. I believed him and we sat by the fire, warming ourselves. He put his arm over my shoulder and grabbed my hand. This was normal for him. The next thing he did wasn't. He pulled me onto his lap so that our legs made a massive plus sign, if you looked at it from a bird's eye view.
My boyfriend pulled my body close to his and I had no where else to put my hands other than on his shoulders. As I was tugged closer to him, my hands were forced to go down and rest on his back. I gulped. He had never done this before and I was getting nervous. He pulled me backward a bit and kissed me. It was a long kiss. He pulled back and saw my worried expression.
The night got better in a way. But it was way worse too. Something had happened that I planned to never ever tell my parents or even mention to them. It was... beautiful but horrible. One of those bittersweet things, if you know what I mean.
We giggled about it and promised each other to keep it secret. It wasn't hilarious but it was a nice little funny secret to keep. Everyone has them, whether it be about a crush or having stolen something once.
About an hour later, I was home, in the shower. I was in my bed by an hour and a half. Vianna hadn't questioned my actions after I'd gotten home. I was too scared to tell anyone. For the next month I felt detached from everything. I was numb. Like the world was surreal and all a dream. When I went to bed each night, I had the same nightmare of that hellish night. I had a tough time remembering the really important parts though.
I avoided places that Todd had taken me to. Like, the beach or around his apartment. I even avoided the one diner he'd taken me to. I avoided any of my friends, including Naomi. She called to check up on me very often. I had finally confided in Vi. She told me to get a pregnancy test and take it to see if I was pregnant. Now my life sucks even more. I am pregnant.
For the next few weeks, I tried to talk to Todd but he never talked to me. He only looked away and stayed silent. He was ignoring me for some odd reason and I hadn't a clue why. He even shot the occasional glare my way. It hurt, it really hurt. I thought he loved me.
Chapter Ten, A Worse Condition Than Ever.
Vianna's POV.
When Amberlynn told me that she was pregnant, we both cried. She blubbered about how it had been a bad night, they were illegitimate children. Why was she saying children and not child? She was probably just in so much grief that she forgot proper grammar. I felt sorry for her. She was only sixteen and I was seventeen (I had aged as coral but just not as fast). Amber wept for a long time until she cried herself to sleep.
Imagine watching a kitten slowly die. That's what it's like to see your sister- who was already emotionally scarred before- weeping because of illegitimate children. I mean, for Zeus's sake, she'd been unable to control the situation! That was not fair! In the morning, I suggested an abortion to her. She shook her head, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"I made a promise as soon as I hit puberty." Amber explained. "The promise was to never ever get an abortion no matter what. I don't judge those that do, I just don't think it fair to terminate an unborn fetus's life. I mean, it's not the kid's fault."
For a moment, I thought she was happy about being pregnant. "Yeah. I understand." I told her, squeezing her shoulders.
A week passed and she told me she needed help telling dad and Rachel. They would kill her. I gathered up the family, got them sitting and calm, and told Amber to come in. Dad looked awfully suspicious. Amber sat on the coffee table. Rachel glared at her for such rudeness but Amber deflected the stare.
"Dad, Rachel... I need to tell you something really important." Amberlynn started. "Ugh, how do I do this, Vi?" She whispered to me.
"Just take a deep breath and tell them I guess." I whispered back.
"Uhh... I'm pregnant..."
I almost laughed as my dad screamed, "Yeah right! Please tell me you're kidding!"
"No..." Amber admitted.
"That's it! You've been an evil child enough!" Rachel hissed. "Go pack your bags and never return to this house again!"
"Wait! In her defence, she wasn't able to control the guy who did it!" I shot in.
"Sure she was! She's just telling you things so she won't feel guilty about selling her body!"
Amber looked mortified. She looked like she'd rather be anywhere but here. Any where. Her lower lip started to quiver as she looked down. I wanted to slap Rachel hard. I glared at her and objected. She asked for a name, the guy who'd hurt her. I didn't know. The room fell completely silent. Amberlynn looked up, heavily lined eyes misted. She glared hard at Rachel and spoke in a monotone.
"Todd Hewitt." She growled. She told everything she knew about him. By the end, she was crying. I had to hug her. Dad looked apologetic of Rachel.
"Sweetheart." Dad cooed to Amberlynn. "I know it's tough but you'll be okay. Everything will turn out all right in the end. I promise." He grabbed Amber's head with one hand and pulled it into his chest. He kissed her forehead and hugged her. I knew dad was probably lying, just trying to help her get through this all.
Chapter Eleven, Count Them. One Two Three!
Amberlynn's POV.
I was now six months pregnant. I had gone back to camp, as it was now summer time. My friend, Lianna, a daughter of Poseidon, was surprised to find out I was pregnant. She told me she was happy for me but upset that I'd been hurt. It had been shocking for me a while ago, at my first ultrasound, when they'd announced that I was having triplets. They congratulated me and let me use their bathroom.
Vianna was going to be the babysitter for my children while I was at school. She was a year-round camper. We'd often talk about what I was going to name my children. I knew that the first girl I had was going to have some tomboyish name. Like, Robyn or Riley. I knew that the first son I had was going to be named Keenan. No doubt about that. The best part was, I had no partner to argue over names with. But I did have to pick out six names.
"I think you should name your daughter Robyn. It's a really pretty name!" Lianna insisted as I sat on my bunk, munching chips.
"The first and-or only girl will be named Robyn!" I announced, mouth full. "Robyn... Theresa Jackson."
"That is such a good combo! I cannot wait to see her!"
"Now for a boy."
We thought for a few minutes. Simultaneously we said, "Keenan."
"Keenan some-thing-or-other Jackson." Lianna tested.
"Keenan Eric Jackson." I decided.
We talked then, about how many kids there could be of each gender. And, for a while, I forgot about my worries and horrible emotional woes. Alas, the summer passed quickly and back came the school year. I was nearly seventeen now. Just a few more days. When I got back to school, there was a shock so horrid, it scared me half to death. Todd stood in the hallway. Right beside my locker, waiting for me.
"Amberlynn." He smiled at me as if I were an old friend he hadn't seen all summer. "I should tell you before the crowds come. I am a son of Apollo. Just so you know. That is all. Have fun with the kids!"
I nearly fainted. I had to hold onto the locker for support. I gulped and took a lot of deep breaths. After a few minutes, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Adam Castellan, Luke and Thalia's kid was standing behind me. He was taller than me and older than me by a week. He had dark hair and his father's eyes. When we were younger, he'd been nothing more than adorable. Now he was quite handsome.
"Hey, Amberlynn? What's all this?" Adam asked, motioning to my belly and to my dramatic support on the locker thing.
"Ummm... Last winter, around January, I was hurt. It turns out that the one-night stand has led to my being pregnant with triplets." I explained.
"That sounds awfully fun!"
"It really is. Especially when every single class, you need to take a go to the bathroom three times."
Adam laughed. He was a really good friend of mine. He was my adoptive cousin. But really, dad had adopted Vianna so he wasn't any more. We just acted kind of like cousins. The bell rang and I went to class. I felt on of the babies kick my tummy and I put my hand over my stomach, gently cradling my huge bump. It would all be over after I squeezed three watermelons out of myself in about a month. It sounded like so much fun.
Chapter Twelve, Magic In The Dead Of Darkness.
Vianna's POV.
With two weeks until Amber's due date, we were all prepared for a quick drive to the hospital. I kept in touch with Xerxes who was still at camp. One day though, I was cooking dinner and Amberlynn answered the door when it rang. I heard a familiar voice but kept chopping veggies. I was dumping them into the stew when Xerxes walked in and put his hands on my shoulders. I gasped a little and spun around. Xerxes had an innocent look on his face.
"Woah..." Xerxes smiled. "I just wanted to see if I could ask you to a meal tonight? Somewhere fancy?"
"Ummm... A date?" I asked, hope piling up inside me.
Xerxes nodded. I told him I'd ask Amber to watch it for me and told him to wait while I got ready. It was to be fancy so I wanted to dress slightly fancy. It took me about a half hour but I finally got ready. I wore a red skirt over-top of black and white stripped leggings. My shirt, a form-fitting laced-sleeved white dressy one, was very minimally too small. I put on some black heels and a bit of make-up.
When I emerged from my room, Xerxes almost wolf-whistled. He looked into my red-accented green eyes and we left. The date was amazing. He took us to a fancy restaurant and we danced our way home. When we arrived home, I found our house surrounded by fire-trucks and other emergency vehicles. I was scared. I tore off my heels and ran towards home. The sirens blared against my ears and the lights made me dizzy.
Amberlynn was standing looking either pleased or sad. I ran up to her. She breathed a sigh of relief and hugged me. Well, it wasn't her who'd gotten in trouble. But dad was crying. So were Brendan and Mackenzie. I hugged her tightly. At least as tightly as you can a pregnant girl.
"What happened!?" I screamed.
"The fireplace... It killed Rachel." Amberlynn said mournfully, winking.
"How?"
"A toy or something caught fire and brought fire to her chair. The heat grew and her blood nearly literally boiled."
"Ew..." Then I muttered under my breath, "Glad she's dead."
Amber nodded and we hugged again. Everything was turning out okay. I mean, I had Xerxes to keep me company, Amber was getting happier, and Rachel was gone.
Chapter Thirteen, I'm Not In Love Because I'm A Mess.
Amberlynn's POV.
The evening after Rachel's death was cold. I had to go out to buy a bag of chips and a few other groceries. The kids were supposed to come really soon. I bought the items and started walking home, carrying my items and thinking about how the children would look. I was turning down a short-cut alleyway to home. There was a familiar growl. I spun to see Todd leaned against the shadows, hair glistening black, eyes glowing hazel. His leather smelt of cigarette smoke.
"You're putting them up for adoption." He snapped.
"No. You can't make me." I stood up to him.
He grabbed my throat, not tightly, only threatening. "You. Are. Putting. Them. Up. For. Adoption." He growled louder.
"No! I want to keep them! You can't make me not love them!"
He squeezed an tossed me to the damp, cold, hard concrete ground. I groaned in pain. He punched me in the face and kicked my legs. I tried to scream but he covered my mouth and punched me in the head. I started to cry. He picked me up off the ground, held my hand and came close to me. So close, I could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. Todd caressed my cheek and held my hand.
"Have I convinced you yet, love?" He murmured sweetly. I leaned my head down, dark hair making a thick veil around my face. I nodded sadly, promising myself I would keep my babies.
He left me alone in the dark alleyway. I ran home after gathering up my groceries again. When I got home I went to look at myself in the mirror. I looked like I'd just gotten beaten up. I changed and put on heavy make-up to cover up the nightmarish memories. When I finished unpacking the groceries, I felt like I'd peed myself. I sighed and went to change but doubled over in pain. I was going into labour.
Hours later, I'd given birth to all three. Two boys and one girl. Vianna had kept congratulating me. I smiled and fell asleep. The next time I awoke, the sun streamed through the hospital curtains. I was in the same room but with changed sheets. Vi stood next to me, holding a bundle of cloth. She cooed to it as it made baby noises back at her. I saw a pink toque on her head. It was my baby Robyn.
"Robyn." I whispered. Vianna looked at me and sat next to me.
"What was that?" She asked, letting me hold her. She was so light!
"Robyn. Her name is Robyn Theresa Jackson."
"Cool. What are the boys' names?"
"Keenan Eric Jackson... And... I don't know. I'll have to see them."
"Adam's holding the first boy over there, and dad is holding the second boy. We can show you them."
"Sure."
The first one was definitely Keenan. The second boy was Riley. Riley Justin Jackson. All of them were adorable. Adam and dad kept on telling me how well I did. All I really wanted was a shower. Seriously. I was sweaty and bloody. For weeks I lived happily. No interruptions of hatred and sadness. The Fates were finally smiling upon me.
(A/N:: THERE WILL BE A SEQUEL!!!)
