Everyone was busy having fun. Percy had decided on waffles for lunch as well as breakfast, so the sweet smell of maple syrup hung in the air.

Jason, face stained blue like everyone else's (from the sought-after blue waffles) had taken to lifting people out of the pool on the wind and letting them float in the air. Everyone enjoyed it - except Thalia.

"Jason, I swear, let me down or -"

"Or what, big sis?"

"I will do something very, very frightening," Thalia growled.

"Ooh, she scary," Telia stage whispered to Charlie, who giggled.

Just then Thalia brightened. "Hey guys, the bus is here!" and, glaring at Jason, "I saw it from my vantage point in the sky. We better get downstairs before they start honking at us!"

Everyone raced down the fire escape in their dripping bathers, not bothering to dry off, as the bus started honking at them. 

They all got downstairs and stood in the drive in one big, soggy group, all waving frantically as Zoe, Tanzy, Delta and Telia's little sister Skye stepped out of the bus.

Charlie ran to hug her twin. "Zoe! My favourite sister!"

"I'm your only sister, dummy, and get off me. You're all wet!"

"And hello to you too," Charlie pouted, but Zoe just grinned and rolled her eyes and ran off to say hi to everyone else.

Skye ran up to Charlie and Telia, beaming, eyes the same shade of blue as the sky.

"Hello, you!" Telia grinned down at her little half-sister. She was the daughter of Ceres, but Skye was the daughter of Hemera. They'd both inherited their father's good looks - blonde hair, lightly tanned skin and bright eyes.

"Anyway," said Charlie, turning to Zoe (who she could sense was behind her planning to scare her), "I hope you brought your bathers back because we're having waffles on the roof."

"Oooh, yay!" grinned Skye.

"Come on, then!" said Charlie. "I can't be away from the water any longer!"

Zoe laughed and flipped her hair right in Charlie's face. "Race you to the roof!"

Everyone forgot they were wet and had a wonderful time racing up the white carpeted stairs to get to the roof (it took a long time to get the stains out afterwards).

...

Delta, using her amazing Iris powers, had stained the pool water peachy-gold like the sunset. Everywhere you looked there were contented demigods, young and old, stretched out on towels or thick, spongy green lawn. Zoe floated on her back in the golden water. Charlie sat, squashed next to Telia, legs dangling in the pool, making Elsa-style patterns with the water. Emmi and Basti sat on the edge of the roof, watching the sunset.

Pretty much a perfect day.