Disclaimer: I only own the mortals and plot. All of the other characters and stories belong to Rick and the CW.

Rebekah was worried about Chloe. She had tried everything to get her to stop her hanging out with Kol, but nothing had worked. Kol had not taken the news about Klaus very well and Rebekah was pretty sure he was close to going into full blown destructive mode. She paced back and forth in front of her locker while she waited for Chloe to arrive at school. She needed to make sure everything was OK with Chloe and that she was safe from Rebekah's loon of a brother. Well, actually both of Rebekah's loony brothers. Klaus was unpredictable as well, but she had given him no reason to lash out. Kol on the other hand had plenty of reasons to lash out and do something crazy.

"Hi, Rebekah," Chloe said as she made her way to her locker. "Is everything OK with your brothers? Sorry I told Klaus about Kol; I didn't think he would react that way."

Rebekah smiled at her friend. "We're all fine. There are complications, but that's normal." Chloe nodded sympathetically. She used to think her family was super complicated, but it was nothing compared to what she had heard from Rebekah about her family. Chloe's family did have its share of drama with bizarre aunts, cranky older sisters and hyper little brothers, but that was pretty normal as far as families go. After all, no family is ever completely "normal." Someone is always sitting in the crazy chair. After witnessing the craziness of the Mikaelson family, Chloe was grateful for the loving and safe family that she had even if they were a bit cuckoo for cocoa puffs. Nico, Percy, Will, Annabeth, Thalia and Jules were all walking down the hall. Rebekah saw them and waved. As the group came closer to the two girls, a light hearted argument could be heard from Thalia, Percy and Nico. The three of them were very different from their parents, but there were a few similarities such as arguing non stop with the others over trivial matters. No one really knew why the argument had started, but that was often the case. The three of them were not always compatible and were very good at setting one another off with the most subtle of provocation. Will, Annabeth and Jules were obviously trying very hard not to laugh at the trios' "oh yeah"s "really?"s and "no, you're wrong"s. Once the two groups converged in the hall, Chloe and Rebekah also began snickering at the good natured bickering.

All of a sudden, Nico slapped his head with the palm of his hand. "Oh My GODS! I forgot! How could I forget?!" Percy and Thalia stopped speaking, surprised at Nico's outburst.

Percy furrowed his eyebrows. "What? What did you forget?"

Nico winced as if in preparation for a blow. "Hazel's birthday. How could I forget? I have been planning for it since we got back!"

"Who's Hazel?" asked Jules. "Competition for Will?" Everyone laughed at her question. Will's disbelieving face made her joke even more funny. Everyone knew that the chance of Nico and Will ever breaking up was less than zero percent.

"She's my half sister," replied Nico. "She lives in California, but she and her boyfriend are currently on the east coast and I was planning to get together with them today after school. It is going to be a surprise. She only knows that Frank has a something planned in New York City; she doesn't know that I'm here. I told her I have been staying our dad for the last couple weeks instead of living in New York."

"You told Hazel you were staying with your dad?" asked Rebekah. "What if she talked to your dad and he said you weren't with him?" Something about this just seemed off. There had been no mention of divorced parents and yet neither sibling lived with their dad permanently.

"She doesn't talk to him as often as I do. Her relationship with him is . . . different. Our dad is complicated. If she wanted to talk to me, she would get in contact with me instead him because my dad doesn't like it when we bother him unnecessarily."

No one really said anything in response to Nico's explanation because those who didn't know Nico's dad, Hades, didn't know what to say, and those who did know him were already aware of the way Hazel and Nico interacted with their dad. Rebekah was still unsatisfied with Nico's answers. Who did they live with if not with their father? Their mothers? Nico had mentioned a few weeks ago that his mother was dead and one thousand years of experience told Rebekah that Hazel's mother was out of the picture as well. She hoped she would get to meet this Hazel.

"Nico, once you, Frank and Hazel are finished with your birthday plans, we should all get together. We can invite Max and Tucker too," said Percy. None of the demigods had not seen Hazel and Frank for a very long time, and he thought it would be nice for his mortal friends to meet them.

Chloe's face lit up. "That would be great! I love celebrating birthdays, and I would love to meet Frank and Hazel."

Jules nodded. "Yeah it'll be fun. I'll talk to Max and Tucker about it at lunch. Rebekah, if it is not too much trouble, could we maybe use your place as home base?" She didn't want to be that leech friend, but Rebekah had had a party at her apartment when she was new to the school, and it was a great space for that kind of thing. Her home was the only place without some sort of parental unit hovering over everyone's shoulder. As much as Jules loved Sally and Paul, sometimes it is more fun to not have to worry about adults.

Rebekah shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't mind as long as everyone is okay with that. Kol may be haunting the area, but I can get him to go away." She knew she could get Kol to go away if she promised him some small favor, or if she got him a meal. It was obvious that Kol had not decided to switch to instant food, and he often appreciated a fine dinner as a peace offering.

"That would be great, Rebekah, but you don't have to," Nico said. "We can always find somewhere else to get together if it is too much trouble." He didn't want to impose on Rebekah. Unnecessary kindness sometimes seemed a tad bit foreign to him because of his status as a child of the underworld, and it tended to embarrass him. What he did not realise was that Rebekah had agreed because it was logical to host a "get together" in an apartment such as hers, and because she wanted the home court advantage. She wanted to meet Nico's sister so that she could find out more about this strange group. It would also get rid of a possible need for an invitation into anyone's home. If anyone other than Percy, Jules, Chloe, Max or Tucker hosted then she would have to be invited in. Normally that would be fine, but the group of Percy's "camp" friends seemed rather on edge about Rebekah. It would be unwise to do anything odd that would call attention to her after Klaus's little stunt in Sally's kitchen.

"No really I insist. I would love to help celebrate a birthday," Rebekah responded. They all agreed that Nico would bring Hazel and Frank by Rebekah's place at seven thirty that evening. The bell rung and they all made their way to their respective classes.

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"Thank you, Nico, for taking me out for dinner. This has been a great birthday," Hazel said smiling.

"Are you ready for the next activity on the schedule, Madame?" Nico joked while holding his arms out to both Hazel and Frank.

Hazel laughed and took her brother's arm. "Why yes, my good Sir. I can't wait to see the others." Frank took Nico's other arm and the trio began the journey to Rebekah's apartment.

By the time the three of them got to Rebekah's apartment, every else had already arrived. There were some balloons blown up, and there were cupcakes that said "Happy Birthday!" The party itself was lokey. The idea was to have a relaxed gathering that would be fun for Hazel without overwhelming her. She had been adjusting to modern times, but it was still a bit much for her.

There was a joyful reunion between the demigods, and many hugs were exchanged among the old friends. Hazel and Frank were introduced to all of the mortals, and the event went along splendidly.

After about a half an hour, Rebekah found herself standing next to the birthday girl who had previously been otherwise occupied with the friends she had not seen in a long time.

"Have you known Percy for very long?" Hazel asked the blond original. She was curious to know more about Percy's mortal friends. He had not mentioned them very much on the Argo II.

Rebekah shook her head gently. "Not really. I moved here only a couple months ago. I met Percy when he came back from wherever he was. Chloe told me he had been gone for quite some time."

"Where did you live before you moved to New York?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Oh. I've lived all over. My brothers and I moved around a lot," Rebekah replied. "Your brother said that you currently live in California. Have you always lived there?"

Hazel smiled. "No. I was born in Louisiana and moved to Alaska when I was around twelve or thirteen."

"Where in Louisiana?"

"New Orleans."

"I lived in New Orleans for a part of my life. My family and I loved it there. Have you been back recently?"

"No. I haven't been back since I moved to Alaska."

As Hazel said this, Nico walked up to the two girls. "What are you two talking about in this little corner of the room?"

Hazel smiled at her brother. "We were talking about New Orleans. Rebekah used to live there too."

Nico raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? What part of the city did you live in?"

"I lived in the Quarter. Did you live in New Orleans as well?" Rebekah asked. She wanted to know what the siblings knew of New Orleans. She had come to New York after the whole ordeal with the Hollow was done. The name Mikaelson was known to some of the humans in the Quarter after the mess her family and Marcel had made, and it was possible that she may be recognized by these two.

"No, I never lived there. I only met Hazel when I brought her to California," Nico explained. "My father kept us separate in earlier years."

Rebekah nodded. "I see. Did you live in the Quarter, Hazel, or did you live in a different part of the city?"

"I lived in the quarter. My mother had a shop and apartment over a bakery," Hazel said. Her eyes got a slight far away look in them just like they did every time she talked of her New Orleans childhood before the curse set in.

"What did she sell?" Rebekah asked, eager to know more about this girl. Something about her intrigued the blond vampire. Hazel had a sad and sorrowful air about her while still being full of light. She was also a little old fashioned like some of the vampires that never quite let go of the time they were born and turned in.

Hazel laughed. "Fortunes. She sold phony fortunes to foolish tourists." She laughed again, but not at her mother. She was laughing at the good times she and her mother had making fun of the tourists after they left the shop. "My mother even called herself 'Queen Marie' when she told their fortunes. She was one of those 'witches.' you see in the Quarter. Telling fortunes and doing Voodoo." As she spoke, Hazel added little air quotes around the word "witches." She was going out of way to make sure Rebekah did not think she was speaking literally.

Out of the blue a voice said, "What's this about French Quarter witches?" Kol strode over to the little group and put his arm around his sister.

Rebekah shrunk away from her brother's grip. "Kol, back already? I thought your business with Klaus would take longer."

"He and I combined our resources and found what we were looking for rather quickly," Kol replied smirking. "Now, who is this young lady?"

Hazel, who had always been a bit shy in front of new people responded quietly, "I'm Hazel."

"Nice to meet you Hazel," said Kol. "As you have probably heard, I'm Kol, Rebekah's older brother." He shook Hazel's hand as he spoke. "I still want to know what you were saying about the witches of the French Quarter."

"I used to live in the Quarter. My mom told fortunes and did all the magic stuff that tourists love," Hazel explained. Kol's interest in the subject of something as ridiculed as the French Quarter witches was very odd. Most people just laughed and moved on. He seemed genuinely

Kol raised his eyebrows at her. "What did you say your last name was?"

"I never told you my last name, but it's Levesque," Hazel answered with a confused tone. "Why do you ask?"

"Certain families have long histories of professions. It just so happens that I know the history of your mother's profession very well. The name Levesque was used by New Orleans witches as early as the 1850s." Kol's eyes lit up as he spoke. Something about Hazel screamed witch at him. He had become pretty good at detecting them over the years, and Hazel had set his witch radar off. "I hate to change the topic, but, Bekah, Nik wanted me to tell you where we found it."

"And where is it? Or more accurately who has it?" Rebekah inquired. She needed to know who had taken the dagger. As much as she was afraid of Klaus, she wanted him to go back to his daughter before he did anything he would regret later. However, he would not stop until what he perceived as a threat was neutralized, and in this case, the stolen dagger was the threat. Ever since Kol transformed a dagger to use against Klaus, Klaus had been very paranoid about the daggers. He did not want to be daggered again, especially not when his daughter was still growing up.

"A strawberry farm on Long Island. It's called Delphi Strawberries or something like that," Kol replied, "and you will be going with Klaus to find it and bring it back tomorrow. Now, if the party will excuse me, the night is still young and there is still fun to be had. I'll see you in morning, sister, if not late tonight." Kol waved goodbye to his sister and her friends at went back out to find someone or ten someones to feed upon.

I couldn't resist putting Hazel in there because of her New Orleans connection. I tried to keep this chapter a little longer just the last one. My friend and I are writing a Harry Potter fic. There will be an O.C. that we have been building for over a year, but they are so easy to get wrong. If anyone has any tips for how to make sure this O.C. is not a Mary Sue or Anti-Sue, please comment or private message me. I would love the help. Thank you to Ronlol2 for reviewing. As always constructive criticism is loved and appreciated, so please review.