The Guardians and their doors.

Agora Part two. (Did I just give a relevant Chapter Title?)

Michelle Johnson didn't know the man she had met at a bar in Vegas had been a god until her daughter had turned twelve and the kid with the goat feet showed up.

Now Samantha was 15 and so grown up Michelle could feel her drifting away, relying more on her siblings and fellow demigods more than her mortal mother who couldn't even see through the Mist.

Samantha had her father's hair and eyes, his talent with the bow and his love of music, just like her brothers and sisters, did. Instruments and weapons were strewn throughout the house, some handmade, others looking like other things that Michelle didn't even realise were other things until her fingers couldn't even touch the celestial bronze.

Michelle had just resigned herself to being a safe place away from Camp when Samantha had invited her to the "Agora."

Michelle had just grabbed her keys to drive when Sam opened a portal in the living room.

Really she should be used to things by now.

That was about three hours ago and Michelle still wasn't over gawking at every amazing thing she saw.

Another mortal parent had noticed and they struck up a conversation, Michelle walking away with advice to purchase a pair of wool and Celestial bronze gloves, specially designed so mortals could handle immortal items and a few other things.

She had found the gloves, bargaining with a twelve year old child of Athena who had knitted them herself, and purchased the ambrosia and necter, which was in a backpack.

That's two things taken care of. Now to find some form of weapon storage racks like Sally recommended and possibly some Anti-Mist glasses, for making sure her house was as weapons free as she thought it was, since the Mist sometimes made things invisible instead of just changing their appearance.

At least she now knew what she kept tripping on in the hallway.

Michelle looked at some of the products the vendor next door was selling.

"Taishi Mountain Yao Grass." The vendor said, thankfully in English. "See things clearly. But no help Greek mortal. Chinese magic only. Only work few minute anyway."

"Oh well." Michelle said. "Thank you for explaining." She turned away and spotted a black-haired boy and blonde girl in green cloaks walking down the street, not realizing the other shoppers were bowing until Sam pulled her arm down. 

"Who was that?" Michelle asked as the pair passed and Sam returned to looking at the herbs.

They were being sold by an Indian man, a sign behind him declaring him a son of Dhanvantari, Hindi god of healing in over a dozen languages, one of which, was thankfully English.

Sam paid for her herbs, passing over a drachma, before answering. "That was Lord Perseus, god of Heros, and leader of the Guardians. The Agora is considered his domain, so if any violence breaks out, he's the one who will make it stop. Each pantheon can only get in with his permission, and he can withdraw it in times of war."

Michelle must have let the terror she felt at the thought of Samantha going to war show on her face.

"Don't worry, Mom." Samantha said, pulling her the opposite direction the god had went. "The Guardians will have to be wiped out before the camps get involved and the Greeks have a lot of allies. I'll be fine." Sam grinned at her. "Come on. I want you to try Pasteli but we have to get to the Greek district first."

"Coming." Michelle said, following her daughter.

"Can I have another bow?"

"Not until your room is clean."

"Aww."

Michelle smiled. Maybe Samantha wasn't growing up too fast after all.

--------
"I see you found those glasses I recommended."

Michelle turned to see Sally again, and grinned. "Yes, I did. I wish I had these sooner. Would have made cleaning up a lot easier."

Sally laughed. "I was the same way. First time my son came home after Camp he put a javelin through my cabinet. No more weapons in the house after that."

Michelle laughed. "Thanks again for the advice."

"No problem. It can be so agravating to see what's in the way and your kid is at school or camp."

"My daughter leaves arrows everywhere. I'm convinced their pencils and pens until I try to write with one." Michelle leaned in conspiratorialy. "Samantha thought it would be funny to switch out the pens at my desk for arrows when she was 13. Took me five minutes to realize I wasn't seeing things. "

Sally laughed. "I can't say I've had that problem. My son uses one weapon most of the time and it's been enchanted by his father to return to his pocket."

"That's an option?" Michelle asked.

Sally laughed. "Yeah. If you want I can show you where a child of Hecate, goddess of magic, is working. They'll spell anything to return anywhere. I'm told their mother's work is always better but a couple thousand years does that."

Michelle laughed. "Here. I grabbed some from a vendor a few rows over."

"Oh, thanks. Pasteli is one of my favorite. Shame it can't be blue."

"Has your son ever been on a quest?" Michelle asked, watching her daughter talk to a centurion. "Sam mentioned she wants one so that she can prove herself."

"He's been on a few. I came home after his first one and warned not open the freezer."

"Why?"

"Apparently he ran into a rather famous monster running a statuary business in Jersey and he didn't want me added to her collection."

It took Michelle a moment, not being as immersed as her daughter was in mythology but even she had heard of Medusa. "I can't say Sam's ever brought anything that dangerous home before," Michelle said. "Thanks god."

"I ended up burning it, rather safe than sorry."

"I've never been more grateful Sam sell her spoils here."

"Oh, when this happened that wasn't an option." Sally admitted. "I didn't even know something like Medusa's head was worth anything."

"I wonder how much it would go for?" Michelle mused.

"And if the sunglasses are included."

Michelle turned when she heard Sam yelling loudly in Greek.

"That one yours?" Sally asked.

"Yeah."

"She's right, though, three drachma for a dozen arrows is most definitely not a fair price."

"You know ancient Greek?"

"Between Percy and my husband, I picked up on it." Sally admitted. "It's worth learning, especially if you end up a safehouse. Got scared the first few times I heard someone come in at two in the morning and nearly took out the demigod with a baseball bat but I got used to it and they got a warning to duck if they come in at night in the details section of the map."

Michelle laughed.

"Let's exchange numbers." Sally after a moment, pulling out her phone. It was the same one Sam had worked so hard for, the one that got service everywhere and was demigod-freindly.

They did, even though Michelle had to wait to text until she had signal again. Verizon coverage did not extend to pocket dimensions.

"It was nice meeting you." Sally said. "Let's have lunch sometime."

"Who was that?" Sam asked, quiver full of new arrows and her pocket only a few drachma lighter.

"Someone who had been at this longer than I have." Michelle said. "Ready to head home?"

"Yeah. Let's go."
--------
Someone please stop me.