Thia's POV

"You guys didn't have any problems last night?" I asked having met Leah and Andy outside the Hermes cabin so I could show them around and take them to breakfast. "Nothing was stolen?"

"Nope. Not like we had anything anyways," Leah shrugged. "Things seem kind of quiet."

"Yeah news got around about what's going on. Everyone's just anxious. We'll be on our own today while Chiron holds a council meeting. All the head councilors have to go," I explained just in case they didn't know. After all, they hadn't been here before. "But that's okay cause I'll show you guys around. There's lots to do I promise."

"Can we eat first? I'm starving. My stomach is eating itself," Andy frowned, resting his hands on his stomach.

"Yeah of course," I nodded. I escorted them to the pavilion where everyone was talking quietly to one another while others were stuffing their faces with food.

I spotted a few familiar faces amongst the crowds most of them being my relatives. As we passed by the Aphrodite table I smiled brightly at Jaxon and waved.

"Hey! Wanna sit with us?" He asked, already creating room. We didn't have much of a choice after that. Jaxon alternated between sitting at the Aphrodite table and the Zeus table. He didn't want to upset either of his grandparents by having a 'preference.' I thought it was silly but I'd never tell him that.

"Sure. You guys cool with that?" Glancing over at Andy and Leah they both shrugged indifferently. Every demigod at the table watched us intently but I wasn't exactly sure why they were staring. They were most likely sizing up Leah and Andy. Jaxon moved over so that Leah sat between us and Andy sat on my right.

"So you guys are newbies?" A boy piped up interrupting the silence as we all got situated and focused on filling our growling stomachs .

"Not really. Just our first time here." Leah explained, shifting awkwardly in her seat. She always seemed like the confident type but that was with people who had similar interests as her. This was new territory.

"Nice. So who are your godly parents?" A girl asked smiling brightly and excitedly.

"I'm actually a legacy. My heritage is kind of all over the place," Leah laughed lightly.

"That's pretty awesome!" Jaxon smiled. "What about you Andy?"

"I um...don't know." Andy spoke nervously and I noticed he had a hard time swallowing his bite of food.

"Oh well that's okay! Hopefully you're not one of us," girl giggled, and nudged a few of her friends.

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Cause everyone thinks he's hot," she laughed, her cheeks tinting a slight pink. Both Leah and I glanced over at Andy studying his appearance. He shifted under the scrutiny of our gazes.

"Nah, he's cool I guess," I shrugged.

"Yeah, I mean he's okay," Leah teased.

"I don't know if I should be offended or thankful. Why do you care anyway?" Andy asked the energetic and still blushing girl. By now the interest of the table had piqued significantly.

"We can't date our siblings. So if you're not related to us then you're fair game." Andy swallowed hard and his eyes widened in what looked to be fear. I think he was realizing that maybe a whole dozen people pining over him was not going to be fun.

"Right well, I have a...girlfriend," he replied quickly.

"What's her name?" The girl asked, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice.

I was interested to see what kind of angle Andy was playing at. I understood trying to avoid the mess of people who'd hit on him but he was single. Leah and I shared a brief look with one another. Confusion painted her features.

"Her name is...Jenna." The name set me instantly on edge. It was one of those instances where a name could invoke such an emotional response due to past experiences that you never wanted to hear it ever again.

I opened my mouth to say something, to respond with the fact that she wasn't his girlfriend, and that she was a total jerk who liked to smack him. I didn't get the opportunity to speak.

"What's she like?" The girl questioned, her disappointment replaced with excitement at the prospect of gossip. Leah took a long drink next to me purposefully avoiding eye contact with anyone. I had the feeling we had similar thoughts racing through our heads.

"She's nice. Pretty too. We met a while ago and have been dating for about three years I think." Nice? Yeah right. She was the reason Mariana was dead.

"How'd you meet? What was her personality like?" Were the next quick fired questions.

"I met her when I first came to New Rome. She was my only friend. Showed me the ropes and things," Andy smiled slightly. "It was funny because we were so different. She was so prim and proper and I was just a street rat you know?"

"How romantic," the girl gushed. Leah was getting increasingly uncomfortable at the topic and I understood why. I could hardly keep my irritation hidden.

"Yeah I guess." Andy laughed, seeming to relax a little. "She was pretty great."

"Yeah great," I muttered. It was a mistake to even speak because suddenly everyone was staring at me including Jaxon. "What?"

"She was," Andy insisted. "Before everything else happened."

"I'm sure she was wonderful," I shrugged, but my tone of voice must not have matched my attempted casualness.

Andy's eyes narrowed. "Are you doubting what I'm saying? I knew her before you did. Don't forget that, kid."

"You know you speak highly of a person who was literally beating me into a pulp when we first met. Sounds like a pretty great girl. Especially when she's bullied your friend who then commits suicide. She also seemed to like smacking you. I don't know what your definition of 'great' is but that's not mine. Maybe I shouldn't have stepped in between you two. If I'd known you'd still be attached to her." Leah rested a hand on my knee halting my bouncing leg which I hadn't known was even bouncing in the first place.
Silence had taken over the table.

"Don't judge people when you don't know stuff about them," Andy frowned.

"I know plenty enough," I grumbled.

"Sure thing, kid." Again with the kid. It grated painfully on my nerves and I felt like punching him in his pretty little nose.

"I don't know about you but I'm feeling pretty full Leah." Getting to my feet I swung my legs over the bench and turned back to the table where the others were sitting.

"Someone's jealous," a boy muttered, stifling a laugh. I chose to ignore him.

"Thia's got a point Andy. Jenna isn't someone to talk highly of no matter how kind she was in the past." Leah pushed her plate aside and got up standing next to me. "People change but for her it wasn't for the best. Sorry."

"Yeah," Andy nodded, turning away from us and hunching his shoulders.

"Ohhoho drama!" Cooed a group of Aphrodite kids while Jaxon tried to hush them for being nosy and inconsiderate.

"Come on, let's go do something else. You should try the climbing wall," I sighed, eager to change topics. I didn't like staying mad about things.

"Is that the thing with the lava?" Leah asked."Because that sounds horrifyingly dangerous."

"So you don't want to do it?" I asked.

"No I'm totally gonna do it! Who do you think I am?" Leah smiled mischievously, and the two of us ran off towards the Death Wall as I liked to call it.

As it turns out Leah was extremely good at climbing even in a skirt. I was certain she could be particularly dangerous in any form of clothing. What was funnier was she gave zero cares about the boys gawking.

"They're all staring at you and up your skirt," I worried, joining her at the top.

"They're just jealous I'm better at this than they are," she assured me.

"Right I'm sure that's exactly why." Shaking my head I kicked my legs from where I sat letting the wind brush against my skin.

"What do you think they're talking about in the meeting right now?" Leah asked after a moment of silence.

"I'm not sure but they'll figure something out. They're all experienced when it comes to this kind of stuff." I'd heard plenty of stories from multiple perspectives about the wars that had happened.

"So we just wait then?" Leah sighed. Silence settled over us once more and I broke it with a hesitant question.

"You know, I don't know all that much about you or Andy. How come?" She tilted her head to study me for a moment.

"Well, we don't know much about you either," she smiled thinly.

"I'm an open book for the most part," I shrugged.

"Maybe you think that but you're kind of a mystery girl." Leah shifted in her spot. Her eyes settled on Andy who I watched as well. He was walking quickly towards the climbing wall and paused at the bottom.

"Am I allowed to come up or will you Sparta kick me off?" He yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth.

"That depends," Leah warned.

"I'm here to apologize for being an idiot! I don't know what I was thinking, I just panicked." After a minute of deliberation and profuse apologies on Andy's part Leah and I allowed him to climb up.

"Back to what you were saying, how am I a mystery girl?" I asked once Andy was settled on the other side of Leah.

"Well everyone knows who your parents are but nobody really knows much about you. You're intimidating," Leah admitted.

"I'm intimidating? I thought people didn't like me," I laughed.

"It's because no one knows what to make of you." Andy studied the ground far down below.

"So that's why everyone just avoids me?" I'd always wondered why no one liked talking to me. I guess I knew now.

"Kind of," Leah smiled lightly. "But that's okay. As for me, I'm the youngest in my family. There's eight of us total. Six kids and then my parents," Leah explained, fidgeting with her fingers.

"That's rough," I frowned. Leah nodded in agreement and a sad look settled on her face.

"It's so easy to just stay in the back ground you know? Sometimes I think they forget I'm there. It's not that I want a lot of attention but my siblings are all doing important adult stuff, getting married, having kids, getting jobs and graduating college." Leah's gaze settled on the horizon. "The only time my parents really cared to talk to me was when they found out about my secret."

"What was that?" I asked.

"I'm the only queer kid in my family. Being bisexual and all...they thought it'd be helpful to go out of their way and make a big deal about it." Leah bit her bottom lip as if waiting for me to pass some form of judgment.

"Well I mean isn't that a good thing? They were supportive right?" I asked hopefully.

"Yeah they were but it was like I suddenly only mattered because of my sexuality. I didn't understand why it mattered so much." Leah shook her head in dismay. "It's still the only thing they talk to me about and not in a good way anymore."

"I'm sorry," I sighed, giving her a sympathetic look.

"Hopefully you know by now that you're absolutely amazing and totally worth paying attention to." Andy nudged Leah lightly.

"Yeah! You're one of my only friends," I smiled. Leah seemed to relax at that.

"Believe me , I get how crappy parents can be." Andy leaned back on his arms. "My dad is a mortal. My mom is some god who didn't pay attention to me. He uh, he was a druggie. He'd come home from being away on the weekends and stuff completely stoned or high out of his mind. He would pass out on the couch wreaking of sweat, alcohol, and weed. I tried to stay away from that stuff but one day he sat me down and handed me a couple of options."

"What? How old were you?" I asked in surprise.

"Thirteen. He looked at me and he said 'I've been meaning to share one of these with you for ages son. Nothing like some father and son bonding.'" Andy swallowed hard, his eyes glistening in the light. "It was the first time he'd really gone out of his way to do something with me. I hated it but each day I'd sit with him out on the front step of the house and he'd give me something. I eventually figured out that the least terrifying option was weed so we'd just sit their smoking until the sun went down. Sometimes we didn't even have to talk."

Andy paused in his dialogue as if thinking about how to address the next part of his tale. "Only he started doing worse things. His moods fluctuated so much and he started beating me around. I got used to being hit. It's why I never really thought much about Jenna's pushy attitude and physicalness. Eventually I realized that my dad wasn't the man I knew when I was small so I ran."

"Sounds like it was the right thing to do," Leah patted him on the back.

"You know what the last thing I said to him was?" Andy turned his head but I still caught the sight of a tear trailing down his cheek. "I told him some stupid joke. He was high as heaven but he laughed. That's the last thing I wanted to remember. I made him laugh even if it was just once."

Andy shook his head while Leah slung an arm over his shoulders.

"Sorry for being so rude to you Andy." My words were mumbled from guilt.

"Don't be. You were fine. You guys were right, I was being stupid," Andy shrugged, and silence crept back in. I felt like I should say something but I didn't know what.

"It may seem out of pocket considering what you guys have told me but I love my family. My moms are great but they don't tell me things sometimes. Like my grandparents. I know they have reasons but the topic is completely taboo. It's just, it's my family history and I wish I knew more about them even if it isn't all great. The only good story I've heard is about Bellona who I'm named after." Andy and Leah looked confused. "Bellona is my middle name."

"Oh, I was gonna say Thia doesn't sound remotely close," Leah laughed.

"I never met my grandpa Zeus. I don't know what I expected but it would have been nice to at least meet him just once." Sighing I wiped my palms on my jeans.

"Have you asked?" Andy questioned.

"Yeah but he and Mama don't talk. He kind of disowned her. So I don't know what I was expecting. I guess part of me figured if I met him I'd feel more assured about my heritage. That I really am just a late bloomer when it comes to my powers." I glanced down at my hands. My completely powerless hands.

"What about Bellona?" Leah asked hopefully.

"She faded. She died saving my Mom," I replied sadly. "I know I don't need powers to fit in or anything and my problems are much smaller than either of your guys'...it's just that I can't help but wonder why. Why not me?"

Andy frowned in thought for a moment. "Don't get offended by my question but how exactly were you born? I mean, it's not like...you know...and you're not adopted."

I should have expected the question. "Don't laugh. It's kind of weird when you think about it. Maybe not but I don't know. Anyways you guys know who Artemis is right?"

"Of course I know who that is," Andy laughed, "she's really cool!"

"She is, and she absolutely loves Mama. Of course, Hades and Athena both favor my Mom so all three of them convinced Prometheus to make me because my mom's wanted a family. So in a way I was born but not conventionally. I don't know the details behind it all which is probably a good thing. I just know that I'm alive."

"Do you think that's the reason?" Andy said awkwardly. "Maybe Prometheus couldn't give you powers. You couldn't inherit them because you weren't born naturally. Your DNA didn't exactly mix naturally either. Prometheus made mortals not demigods. He may be extremely intelligent but Gods don't really have DNA that you can just put into people. It's super weird genetically. It's like it's there but it's not tangible."

I'd never thought of it that way before but maybe he was right. "All I know is that I...I'm scared of being useless and insignificant. Everyone in my family is a hero. They've all changed the world and what if I die and no one remembers me because I didn't do anything? Because I wasn't capable of doing anything?"

"Honey, listen, some people change the world and they don't even have powers. The point is, you don't have to be some significant hero to make a difference. Some people don't need power. The way I see it is that maybe you don't have power because you'd be too strong with it." Leah gave me a soft look.

"That there's some bigger reason. Maybe you have a bigger destiny," Andy smiled.

"Maybe. I never thought about it that way before," I admitted.

"Besides you're already making a difference." Andy reassured me with a gentle hand on the shoulder.

"How?" I asked. "The only time I tried was with Marianna and look what happened to her."

"Do you normally think she wasn't greatful for what you did for her? She was absolutely thrilled to have you in her life, I'm sure of it. Besides, as far as I'm concerned you're changing my world," Leah shrugged. "I've never had a close girl friend before. People get weird thinking I'm going to try and date them."

"That's stupid," I laughed.

"Yeah, and maybe I'm an ass at times but you're showing me what it's like to strive for something more than the hand of cards the universe has dealt me," Andy added.

"Thanks guys. You're the best," I sighed, feeling closer to them than I ever had before. "You know something?"

"What?" They asked in unison.

"I bet I can beat you down the wall." Before either of them could move I was already scrambling down. Up above me they jumped into action laughing all the while. I watched them struggle down, playfully shoving one another. I couldn't help but mumble ever so quietly, "It's kind of nice not feeling so lonely anymore."