~The Lake At Camp (the next morning)~

‘Where’s Frank?’ Hazel asked. ‘He’s late again.’

Piper, Leo, Calypso and Jason shrugged in unison, none of their attentions diverting from their game of rock, paper, scissors. Piper cheered as she won, yet again (‘Paper, seriously? I thought you guys would’ve learnt by now.’) Annabeth had fallen asleep with her head in Percy’s lap, and he was slowly braiding her hair, methodically and neatly. Hazel wondered where he’d learnt to do that.

Nico jogged up to meet his sister, a small smile on his face.

‘Frank’s on his way,’ he said. His tone implied he wasn’t revealing everything he knew.

‘What’s he doing?’ Hazel wondered aloud.

Nico seemed to be having trouble not laughing. He simply pointed in the direction of the pegasus stables. Looking up, Hazel spotted a mostly black pegasus with four, flashy white socks and white wings soaring high above camp. As the horse flew over the group, a childish giggle could be heard.

Hazel’s eyes widened, ‘Frank Zhang! You bring Millie down! Her parents are going to kill you!’

Frank stopped in mid-air and hung his head in disappointment. Millie leaned over his shoulder and fed him a sugar cube. Frank neighed and swooped down, coming to a gentle landing next to Hazel who planted her hands on her hips. Brown horse eyes stared into golden human ones. Then Frank shifted back to human form, Millie sitting on his shoulders.

‘She made me,’ Frank accused, pointing up at the girl.

‘Did not!’ Millie defended.

Hazel shook her head with a sigh, ‘It doesn’t matter who made who do what. Millie, your parents are going to kill us if you get hurt under our watch.’

‘They’re only at the Big House,’ Frank reassured, hooking his hands under Millie’s arms and lowering her to the ground. ‘Besides, I was careful.’

Hazels resistance crumbled and she smiled. She stood on tiptoes and kissed Frank’s forehead.

‘Oh, Frank Zhang,’ she said. ‘What am I going to do with you?’

‘Let me take you on a ride?’ Frank suggested. ‘With Millie?’

Hazel raised an eyebrow.

‘Come on,’ Frank bribed. ‘You know you want to. You could summon Arion and we can all go for a ride through the woods. I already asked Cara and Jacob, and they said we could take Millie. I already set up a picnic in the woods.’

Hazel touched his cheek, ‘You really did all that?’

He nodded, ‘We deserve some time off, don’t you think?’

‘That would be nice,’ Hazel agreed.

‘Then let’s go,’ Frank shouted. ‘What are we waiting for?’

‘Pony ride!’ Millie cheered.

Hazel grinned. Putting her fingers to her lips, she whistled. In a matter of seconds, Arion appeared as a blur coming to a steady stop at her side. Hazel mounted and slid smoothly into the saddle. Frank picked up Millie and replaced her on his shoulders. Then he morphed into a horse like before, this one without wings. Hazel saw the heart shape marking between his eyes.

Hazel and Millie shouted in exultation as their respective horses whined. Percy, Piper, Jason, Nico, Leo and Calypso waved from the shore of the lake. Annabeth still slept soundly. Arion and Frank reared, their riders clinging tightly to their manes as they took off into the forest.

Arion kept a steady pace with the much slower Frank, yet they were both still tan, black and white blurs in amongst a sea of green. The four raced through the forest. The two girls whooped as the wind tore at their hair and the cool breeze lashed at their faces. Arion and Frank would’ve grinned at each other if horses could.

Millie leaned down over Frank and hugged his neck. Frank nickered and shook out his mane. Hazel laughed and reached down to feed Arion a sugar cube. Frank butted his head against Millie’s cheek as if saying Where’s mine? Millie and Hazel both laughed as she fed Frank one too.

They finally came to a stop at a clearing not too far from the edge of the forest where an orange, purple and black stripped picnic blanket was spread out. A chocolate fountain was set up right in the middle with Easter eggs scattered around the base. Two plates filled with strawberries and marshmallows sat on either side of the fountain.

Millie immediately jumped off Frank’s back, stumbling a little, and raced over to the picnic mat, falling to her knees in front of the fountain.

‘Chocolate!’ she chanted. ‘Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!’

Hazel slid off Arion’s back a little more gracefully as Frank shifted into human form. She hugged him and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

‘You did this?’ she mumbled into her shirt as Millie danced around the fountain in her own bizarre version of a rain dance.

Frank nodded and Hazel pulled back. The two of them joined Millie on the picnic blanket and began to enjoy the food. Millie’s face was soon smeared with chocolate as she devoured the eggs. Hazel leaned up against Frank while Millie sat in his lap.

Frank secretly enjoyed the two of their company more than anyone in the world. They were his two girls. Hazel, daughter of Pluto, and Millie, descendant of Demeter, where his two girls to protect and care for. He welcomed the feeling of being someone else’s hero.

‘What are you guys doing?’ a voice interrupted.

The three of them looked up at the rest of the seven, plus Calypso and Nico.

‘What do you mean?’ Frank asked. ‘I told you all we were going on a picnic.’

‘Yeah, for an hour or two, you said,’ Piper recalled. ‘You said you’d be back by three. Hello? The Easter Egg Hunt is starting! We need you guys!’

Millie jumped up and did her little dance again, ‘Easter Hunt! Easter Hunt! Easter Hunt!’

Frank laughed and helped Hazel up, ‘We wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

With his friends in the lead and his two girls by his side, Frank headed back towards camp for the Easter they all truly deserved.

They are starting to suspect. The one boy, Percy, thinks that this ‘accident’ was all me. He is correct.

So easy, almost too easy. Blocking the young Frank’s shifting abilities was mere child’s play. I would almost ask for a challenge, but watching their fruitless journey more than made up for it. How entertaining it was to watch the little heroes gallivant around their city, chasing their friend.

Although I cannot take credit for everything. Though I guided young Frank to that pet shop, I had no influence over the customers, nor the girl, Millie, who finally claimed him as her own. That was an unexpected accident that turned out favourable for the demigods. It was, however, me who roused Millie from her charmspoken slumber and caused her to awaken her father. How sweet are complications?

This is not over yet. Not by a very long shot.

It will never be over, this game I play. All through the generations I find different ways to toy with the demigods, the ones the gods call heroes. I was not welcomed, but I will not be forgotten.

I am not done. There is more to come. This is my fun.