Forgotten

~Nine~

"Are you sure about this?"

"Positive," I replied happily, skipping on the slush covered sidewalks of Manhattan. 

Winter had hit the Empire State early, causing for a snowstorm to cover most of Long Island and the communities surrounding New York City, like Brooklyn and Queens. Some snow had even fallen through the borders at camp, letting everything be covered in the crisp white blanket. Of course, my siblings had ran out like toddlers, screaming "SNOWBALL FIGHT!" at the top of their lungs, flinging the snow at any person that was outside. Because of them, our entire cabin had dish duty for the next month, but I didn't care. It was so worth seeing Will's flabbergasted face when I pegged him on the shoulder with a snowball.

"You're not even listening to me!" my brother complained, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "If I so much show my face, Zeus knows-!"

"Oh, hush," I chided, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "I doubt Dad will let anything bad happen to his favorite son. Speaking of which," I stopped in front of Luke, placing my hands on his shoulders to make sure he wouldn't bolt, "have you even told Dad that you're alive?"

Luke wouldn't meet my eyes as he bit his bottom lip nervously. "Well, no, but...they're going to kill me!"

My grip tightened slightly. "They are not going to kill you, Luke. If someone so much as tries to hurt you, they'll have to go through me. Look, Dad is going to be so excited, because after...what happened, the Fates took your bodies away, and Dad was crying as he gave you some blessing. He loves you, Luke, even if you don't believe it."

Luke didn't respond, just nodding while continuing to chew on his bottom lip. I didn't force him to talk anymore, knowing how hard of a topic talking about Hermes was. Instead, I just slipped a gloved hand into his own, squeezing it once for reassurance before skipping down the sidewalk like a child once more.

-X-

The security guard was honestly one of the most stubborn people on this planet. He wouldn't give me the damn keycard until I pulled out my dagger and began twirling it in my hand expertly while asking for the keycard once more. He finally handed it over, mumbling something about us being "Good for nothing demigods," but I blame the fact that it's in his job description to keep Olympus hidden from mortals.

Luke was trailing reluctantly behind me, even flinching when the doors to the elevator shut. I swiped the card in the slot next to the buttons, before pressing the golden 600 one. The song "Take On Me" was playing softly in the background, making me cringe the entire ride up. Could Apollo just play smooth jazz in the elevator like every other elevator on the planet? Luke seemed to share my sentiments about the music, looking at the speaker in the roof like he wanted to rip the singer out of the song and cut their vocal cords. And, I'm back to having dark thoughts. Yay!

The doors finally slid open, revealing Olympus, but it seems like winter hadn't even touched the place. It was just as warm and sunny as it was in August when I was last here. The nymphs were in their summer maxi dresses while they tended to their gardens; satyrs were playing their pan pipes in the square, and people tossed drachmas into a small hat in front of the group. One of the bakeries had made fresh goodies, and the sent wafted into the air. This was how Olympus should've been when I first visited, not falling apart at the seams like the war zone it was.

I glanced over at Luke, seeing how he was reacting to being back in the place he had tried to take down with Kronos. His blue eyes shimmered with pure awe and innocence, like he was seeing everything in a new light. At least, I hoped he saw everything in a new light. I don't know what I'd do if Luke betrayed the gods again.

"Everything's so different," he breathed out in his stupor.

"Yeah, Annabeth did a great job. Now, come on. You have fourteen Olympians you need to apologize to."