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Chapter 2

Hey guys! I'm happy someone liked the first part. I can assure you that it just gets better from here! Sluggy, thanks for being an awesome fan! You rock :) Without further ado- chapter 2!

~Blaze

Chapter 2

"Get in the car already! Your sister has a recital in thirty minutes, and I don't want to be late." Kat grimaced as her mother's shrill voice broke the silence. With a heavy heart, she picked up her stuff and walked to the car.

"What do you mean we have to leave? Nevada of all places? Why?!" Kat stared at her mother in disbelief. There was no way she was leaving New York. How would she be able to get to camp half-blood easily if she was halfway across the country?

"Kaitlyn, your father has gotten an excellent job opportunity in Nevada. When we move there, we'll have a bigger house with a huge backyard and a new start." Kat hissed at her.

"I don't care about that stuff! Our house is fine now! Why should we go anywhere?" Behind her, her sister Julia face-palmed. By then the rest of the family was well aware of the mysterious conflict that plagued Kat and her mother, but they had never been told exactly what it was. Kat's step father, Tom, stood up while running a hand down his face.

Julia and Tom moved as one. Julia grabbed Kat's hand and moved her into the kitchen. Tom pushed his wife down into a chair. Kat caught one last glimpse of her angry frown before the door closed behind them and they were settling into a chair.

"Kat you have to calm down." Kat closed her eyes and breathed heavily. Come on, count to 10… 1, 2, 3,... this isn't working! Kat stared helplessly at her 13 year old sister. Though Julia was younger than her, Kat found that out of all her siblings Julia was the one that understood her most. That might have to do with the three year age gap.

"Listen to me. Mom is doing what she believes to be best for our family." Kat snorted. Yeah, the rest of the family. Her mother was doing what is best for her ideal, picturesque group of people that were, in her opinion, normal. Her mother (why did she even bother to refer to her with such respect anymore?) cared only for Julia, Samantha, Rebecca and Derek, her obedient little kids. She only cared about them and Tom.

Not that she had anything against Tom. For a stepfather, he was both understanding and very nice. Kat just couldn't understand why you would hate someone like Hermes. Who would replace a God? Granted they couldn't be together, but why was there so much disgust towards any thought of the God, or demigods, or just her in general?

"Are you even listening? I don't rant for my own health." Julia broke into Kat's mental monologue. "This is something that you need to calm down about." Kat's mouth dropped open as she snorted indignantly.

"Julia your mother doesn't like me. She is not thinking in any way about me; just you and her beautiful family. Just you and your father and your siblings. She hates me." Julia threw her hands up into the air before angrily slamming them into the table.

"You know, you're so convinced that mom hates you so much but you won't actually tell me why. Maybe I could help you!" Julia shook her head in disbelief. "We've lived for so long with your conflict. The two of you disregard the rest of us in your petty squabbles. Have you even stopped to ask how we feel?"

Any ire that Kat had felt instantly melted away. Looking back, she realized that it was true. Granted, the vendetta was between her and her mom for a good reason, especially since the rest of them were stuck with her mother year round. It'd be bad for family relations if they got into the fight. But now that she thought, the fight was splitting their family anyway, everyone against her mother.

"Oh Gods." Kat whispered, horrified. She was such an idiot! But apparently Julia wasn't finished with her.

"While we're on the subject of your quirks, why do you always say Gods? Mom told us that you were atheist. Though I guess I don't know as much about you as I thought." Julia grabbed Kat's hand and brought her attention to her face, looking at her earnestly. "We want to help you, Kat. But how can we fight for you if we don't know what it's for?"

Kat blinked at her.

"Did you rehearse that? That sounded oddly rehearsed. Like the stuff that Tom- that Dad would have said." Julia made a face but was pleased at Kat's use of Dad. As he wasn't her actual father, their relationship had always had an awkward undercurrent.

"Shut up, Kat! We were all curious! Can you blame us?" Kat ruefully shook her head. No, she really couldn't blame them.

That was the worst part. Had she really become so narrow minded in her fight for her bloodright that she hadn't thought of the rest of her family? She generally prided herself for her open-minded nature!

With that horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, she got up from her chair and stood in the center of the room, facing away from Julia and towards a small coffee table that held a single scented candle. She stared into its fiery depths, conflicted. Should she say anything?

Unbidden, a distant memory rose to the surface of her mind. Her mother had dragged her out of her bed one day at midnight to thrust her in front of a monster with the command to get rid of it. When Kat had acquiesced, her mother had taken her weapon once she finished and threw it in the ocean. The next time a monster had come Kat had nearly died while trying to protect her siblings. Everyone had been so confused, but Kat had been furious.

"There's something really important that I have to tell you." Kat said, turning to face her sister seriously. "Just promise me you'll keep an open mind." It was time for them to know.

" So let me get this straight. You're the child of a God?"

"Yup."

"The Greek Gods exist? They're in our world with all the Greek monsters and legends, all hidden from us mortals?"

"Yup."

"You go to a summer camp to train how to defeat said monsters. Mom hates anything to do with it for some unknown reason. That's your vendetta?"

"Are you going to repeat everything that I told you?"

Julia's eyebrows furrowed. "Well actually I really just want some sort of proof. It does seem kind of fantastical." Kat nodded. That was fair. Plus she knew just how to kill two birds with one stone.

Kat dragged Julia outside their house and to the nearest hose. She dragged it into the sunlight and held the head, forming a beautiful rainbow. There, she used her first drachma.

"Iris, I pray to you. Show me Annabeth at Camp Half-Blood." Julia gasped as the coin disappeared and the rainbow shimmered until Annabeth's face could be seen. She was sitting at the dinner table with the rest of her cabin and Percy.

"Kat! You usually don't message this quickly. Is something wrong? Oh, who is that?" Kat jumped quickly into an explanation of her situation. As it went on, Chiron was called, and the matter discussed with him.

"This is very serious. Not only will you miss a lot of training if she doesn't let you come back, you are going into enemy territory. I assume you know what I speak of." I nodded. Unlike most campers, I had heard of the Romans and their location in the west of the United States. I was moving right into their land, and they would probably be able to sense me very quickly.

"Never mind that for now, Chiron. I'll try to be nice and open, and hopefully they won't bother me. If my mom finds my stuff what they hell am I going to do? Also, I only have a few drachmas." Chiron smiled at me.

"Not to worry. You're moving to Nevada, yes? I have made friends with the pack of centaurs that live there. Simply travel towards Las Vegas. They travel in a pack near the border between Arizona and Nevada and typically stop near Hoover Dam. You'll be able to find them easily. Just mention my name and they'll give you what you need." Kat sighed with relief.

"Kat! Julia! Where are you?" Tom called from inside the house. Kat cursed, whispering hasty goodbyes and moving Julia out of sight. Her younger sister looked slightly stunned, and kept blinking.

"We're here. Lets go talk." Kat said. She pulled her sister inside, ready to reveal everything to her stepfather, then her step siblings.

"So can you fly?" Derek asked cheerfully. Their drive to Nevada had been long and tiring, and he spent the entire ride asking ridiculous questions about her origins. Her reveal seemed to have simply rubbed off him. He accepted it without any hassle.

The same could be said about the rest of her siblings. It was Tom that Kat was most worried about. He hadn't said anything on their trip about it, and had been silent for most of the way. Her mother on the other hand had broadcasted her feelings loudly, fuming and complaining that they would have to forever go into hiding and that hopefully, with time away from her camp, she would be turned normal again.

"No Derek, just because I am a daughter of Hermes does not mean that I can fly. That would be awesome though." Kat found it interesting that her siblings knew a lot about Greek Mythology. She figured that it might have been her influence.

"Can you shut up? We're here, and need to unpack." Her mother snapped from the front seat. They all piled out of the car, and Kat got her first view of her new house. She had to admit, it was rather pretty, especially when compared to the old one. It was larger too.

"So can you use swords and bows and arrows and cool stuff like that? Can you show me?"

"No! I will not stand for such abnormality in my house!" Kat blinked in shock as her mother finally snapped. "I don't want you poisoning the minds of my children." Kat flinched back as her mother leaned closer. She searched desperately for any sign, any trace of a reason for her anger.

What she found instead was fear.

Kat's head was still spinning hours later while she rested on her bed. Was it fear of her? Her power? Her father's power? The God's power? Monsters? The possibilities were endless. Most importantly, they humanized her, gave her a purpose for disliking her that Kat couldn't handle. How could she remain angry in the face of such a reveal? The whole thing was surprisingly (frustratingly) humane.

Kat knew that she would also be scared from the potential knowledge of everything that is out there. She would be frightened to be potentially powerless against so many things. But that was the frustrating part. Instead of hiding in fear, she could have learned how to use a weapon. Self defense wasn't just a demigod thing- plenty of "normal" human beings could use a sword better than her! Why didn't her mother understand?

Kat startled from her angry thoughts when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." She spoke up softly. Who was it at this time of night? Her surprise grew when Tom peeked around the door and came in. "Hi." She whispered quietly. Her nervousness grew as he moved closer to her, but she really jumped when he sat on her bed.

She sat ramrod straight, not even breathing as he pulled her close for a hug. She was frozen, completely unmoving for a long time. As the hug persisted her body finally relaxed. She lifted her arms and wrapped them tightly around him, revelling in the hug.

"I want you to know that I accept you for who you are." He whispered in her ear. "No matter what she says, I don't see you as a freak. You are perfect. Even if you aren't my daughter." Kat's eyes welled with tears. She could feel an odd shaking, and realized it was her silently crying.

"I don't know why she doesn't like me." Kat bit out in between pants. "She never has, and I don't understand it, what did I do wrong?" She was quietly hiccupping now, overcome with an odd mixture of relief and sorrow.

"I will try to talk to her. Maybe she will tell me something." Tom told her, patting her back. They hadn't ever hugged for so long before that day, and she was overwhelmed. It felt so good. She hadn't felt a hug like that from a parent or a friend, ever. "Come now, calm down. Tell me a bit more about your world." Kat pulled back, sniffling. She wiped her eyes with the corner of her blanket and sent Tom a watery smile.

"Where do I begin?"

"I don't know why you continue to treat her this way!"

"I've told you a thousand times she isn't right! She's not normal."

"But why? Because she has special genetics? She acts just like the rest of our children, and she's a hell of a lot better than others that I've seen." Kat peered around the doorway carefully, watching her mother and father argue. Over her. Tom was doing what he said; confronting her over her hate. She wasn't supposed to be listening, but Kat wanted to know why- and she wanted to see why Hermes had ever liked her in the first place.

"She is evil! She can kill any one of us at any moment, and not to mention she's friends with people and creatures that can do just as much damage. She's unnatural." Tom observed her silently.

"You fear her." They stared at each other silently. Kat could only see Tom's face from her angle, but something on her mother's face must have changed because his face softened.

"I don't know how to deal with her or her kind. Or her father." She whispered the last part, wringing her hands nervously. Tom pulled her close and gently kissed her on the forehead.

"Are you scared of her? She loves you. She wants the affection that you deny her so diligently."

"I'm scared of what she represents. She reminds me of Hermes so much; my love for him, and my interest in her world. I can't have that, I need to separate myself from him. If it means taking her from my life, then so be it."

Kat moved away from the doorway, downcast. Her mother was willing to deny her love so she could get over Hermes?

"You can't get over him some other way?" Tom questioned.

"He's a God! From the first moment I saw him, he stole my heart. He is so amazing and gorgeous, and yet I can't have him because Zeus banned the Gods from seeing their mortal lovers and demigod children. Then I met you. You are so special, kind, everything I've ever wanted. But he still holds a place in my heart, and it scares me. I can't let go, like some sort of obsession, and that frightens me."

Kat stumbled backwards, heart heavy.

Kat trudged down the sidewalk, looking at nothing. She didn't know how to handle her new intel. Her mother… was a very complicated person. She continued walking aimlessly, trying to sift through her thoughts. As she walked, she stumbled off of the sidewalk to cross the street.

"Hey watch it moron!" Kat startled backwards, narrowly avoiding a large black limo. She gazed up in annoyance. He was the one speeding! She finally cleared her head and took in her surroundings, frowning. Where the hell was she?

"Come and explore the Lotus Casino!" Kat turned around, bristling. How were people sneaking up on her? Was she that distracted?

"What's the Lotus Casino?" Kat questioned. The woman, clad in a pretty sparkling green dress, gestured to their left. Kat looked up to take in the large modern building labeled The Lotus Casino.

"It's a place where anyone can hang out and have fun for a while. Have a drink, play some games, relax for a bit."

"I don't think I can afford that." Kat dismissed the lady, turning around to leave. She hissed as she grabbed her arm and held her back.

"It's a free tryout today. Please, I insist, stay a while." Kat looked at the lady nervously. Why the hell did this woman want her in the building so badly? Well, Kat figured, staring at the building, what harm could it do to stay a little while?

"Wonderful! Come on in." Kat didn't see her smile become predatory as she led Kat into the building. The demigod looked around in awe, noticing the lavish furniture and opulent decorations. The lady handed her a green card.

"Take this pass. It'll allow you access to any room and give you tickets for any game." Before Kat could say anything, the lady shoved her through the double doors, and slammed them closed behind her. Kat was too stupefied to care.

"Oh my god!" Kat squealed, taking in the organized chaos. Was that a trampoline in the corner? Pools, a jacuzzi, lounge couches, is that a tennis court out back? There's multiple floors of this! Kat could feel her mood lifting already. If this was really free, she was going to take full advantage of it.

Before she could go anywhere, a serving lady approached her with a tray of lotus flower candies.

"Try one. It's on the house!" Kat picked one up, looking at it suspiciously, but noticed how all the nearby people rushed towards it and enthusiastically took the rest of them. "It's not poisoned, you can eat it." The serving lady said. Kat nervously chuckled at her before taking a small bite. As she swallowed the surprisingly delicious treat, she could feel her worries melting away.

Kat gazed at the trampoline, which had younger kids struggling half-heartedly to jump together and perform tricks. She could feel a bright smile coming over her face, as she felt a fond happiness that she hadn't had in a long while.

"Hey guys, let me show you how it's done!"

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