Welcome readers old and new. This story is the sequel to my story "Blessed Campers." This story takes place in The Dark Prophecy. I hope you enjoyed it.

Long ago in ancient Greece, the Olympian Gods lived on Mount Olympus along with a dozens of other gods, titans, and creatures. They were worshiped by mortals, whose belief and prayers helped the gods maintain their immortality. The early Greeks unknowingly created a celebrity status ranking based on who was prayed to the most.

The Olympians were considered A-list because they were the most important ones, having defeated Kronos and accomplishing great tasks. While Hades and Hestia were not technically part of the Olympians, they were considered part of the group by the rest of the community. Mortals also held them in great respect.

The well-known minor gods and goddess were considered to be B-list. While they didn't have the same pedigree as the Olympians, they still played a big part in the everyday happenings on the world. Many held anger towards the Olympians for stealing all the spotlight, but were willing to work with them to get attention.

Then there were the C-list group. This list consisted of different groups of gods or minor children of the A and B list. The groups carried out important duties, such as being in charge of the seasons or teaching proper behavior to humans. Individually, they didn't always stand out, but as a group they couldn't be ignored.

The final group was the D-list, made up of half-forgotten gods and goddess. Even some Titans were in this group. A majority of them were personification, who represented some idea or concept. The gods and goddess in this group were often ignored or treated poorly by others. Even with their treatment, many D-list people stuck around, because they're duties kept them alive.

As the centuries passed and the Power of the West moved further and further away from Greece, some members of the different groups vanished from existence. Some due to no one remembering them, or, they couldn't hold onto their powers. It was a sad fate for people who thought they were immortal.

For any god or goddess, whose existence was teetering, several of them had created demigod children to survive. It was selfish on their part; as demigods attracted monsters and endangered the lives, of their mortal parent. Meanwhile, the godly parent continued to survive and very rarely did they ever interact with the children. They were a means to an end.

This disgusted some, who left Mount Olympus, to find homes in other places of the world. They would promote themselves in different manners to stay alive. Their fate was unknown by the higher list groups. Members in their list groups would keep in touch and once and while come back to Mount Olympus, to renew their immortality.

During two recent crises, the return of the Titan Kronos and Gaia's awakening, the gods and goddess who had chosen to live outside Olympus, kept their heads down. No one would care if they helped or not. Even their enemies seemed unaware they continued to live.

Recently, a new crises had arisen. It seemed that a trio of Roman emperors had managed to continue to live despite dying several centuries ago. They had been busy lately, attacking more in the open. This was due to a situation which had the D-list members prodding into godly businesses once more. The A-list and overbearing Apollo was now a mortal!

With Apollo being mortal, both friends and enemies, were taking payback for his actions. Some even watched what was going on because it was pure entertainment. There were even bets going to if Apollo would survive long enough to gain his godhood back. Others wanted to seen him die and suffer in the Underworld.

Seattle Washington, was the last place anyone would suspect something godly would happen in. The largest city in the state, in fact of the whole Pacific Northwest region, while impressive, didn't really offer much for ancient deities. Seattle depended on its fame to bringing business and tourists to the port town. Another claim to fame was it was the most northern city in the continental US.

Everyday people went to their jobs or for kids' to school. Problems you find in any city; traffic jams, stores, or enormous piles of litter, existed in the city with people working hard to solve them. The police were extra vigilant to prevent crime.

Seattle had been built on an isthmus that had been home to several Native Americans tribes, mostly the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes, respectively. The area consisted of many hills. There was the Puget Sound with thriving port. Unfortunately, the Seattle Fault line passed through the city, meaning a major earthquake could cause a disaster.

There was a huge LGBTQA community and Seattle had the largest amount of same sex couples living happily without too much harassment. The city had also started addressing the large homeless situation by creating permanent housing and resource centers to help people obtain jobs.

Seattle prided itself for being the "gateway to Alaska" or the Emerald city for its huge pine forests. Unique cultural aspects, such as performing arts or grunge bands, rose to fame for starting out in the city.

Seattle had lots to offer to both its citizens and tourists. Festivals such as Gay Pride and Seattle International Film Festival were held each year. Native Americans held their pow wows here. You could also visit numerous museums, historical monuments, and one of a kind attractions.

Overall the city was a wonderful place to grow up in. Education was highly valued and there were a number of different public, private, or home school options. The University of Washington could be found in the city as well.

Seattle had a lot of ways to get around. Public buses, trains, and wide open streets for carpooling. Seattle was trying to figure a way to improve mass transports so there weren't so many traffic jams on the road.

In the southeast part of the city, was the neighborhood known as Beacon Hill, named after the one found in Boston. The population was primarily Asian and African American, with other ethnic groups making up the rest. It was a good neighborhood with plenty of business, recreation areas, and good schools.

Grover Cleveland High School was a city landmark. Built in 1927, the school had avoid being closed 1979 by both students and faculty. The school had been updated over the years, the last major renovation in 2017 after complications with asbestos and a geological hazard had been addressed.

The three-story school building has a brick facade with a terra cotta trim. The center of the building features a two-story bay with a balcony and Corinthian columns. To help increase graduating numbers and to have a better student enrollment, the school had both a STEM and HEAL programs. Slowly, but surely the school's numbers were rising.

At the moment, students were in their last class for the day. Unlike other schools, periods at Grover Cleveland were eighty five minutes long. In the World Language classroom, a freshman was paying a lot of attention to the teacher.

It was a girl named Isra Daimona. The fourteen year old was petite barely five foot. She had an olive complexion, with a heart shaped face, with long lashes, skinny jawline, along with arched eyebrows. Her hair was short and black, eyes were round and hazel, with slightly hooked nose.

The teacher was discussing different language families to the class. "Remember students, the best way to understand the root of a language is to know what family it comes from. For example, Farsi, the modern version of Persian, is an Indo-European based family. English is also an Indo-European language, but was developed based on the Western Germanic language linguistics."

Glancing at the clock, the teacher added, "I want a two and half page essay about two language families due next Friday. Have a nice weekend class." The bell rang dismissing the students for the day.

Isra hurried to her locker, to grab the textbooks she would need for the weekend. She was putting her books in her backpack, when her friend best friend and next door neighbor, Neha Anand, caught up with her. "I can guess what one of your language families will be about. Your eyes lit up when Mrs. Calloway mentioned Farsi."

"Can we please talk about this on the bus? I don't want to miss our ride home," the short girl replied, with only a faint trace of an accent.

Neha nodded and the two girls hurried outside and into the bus, just before it left the campus. As Isra settled into her seat, she studied her best friend. Neha's heritage was Punjabi, a northern state in India, which included the capital New Delhi.

Her skin tone was lighter than people from southern India. Her long black hair was thick and braided down her back. She had big brown eyes and a small nose. She was much taller than Isra and wore a traditional shalwar outfit. Her personality was effervescent, artistic, and smart. She was part of the SOED program.

She was studying to become a computer game designer. Her dream was to use digital art to inspire and help others learn. It was an unusual choice for a girl, but that's what she wanted.

Isra, on the other hand, was part of the SOLS program. She was studying life sciences, such as biology and biochemistry. The curriculum also focused on global health issues. Isra dreamed of improving health care for people who ended up homeless for one reason or another.

Back to the conversation, Neha was talking again. "I know how much you want to learn to speak Farsi. It was the language of your birth parents after all. Maybe you could also write about Punjabi's language family and I could do your Farsi." She clapped her hands and smiled brightly. "We can work together, so it isn't hard to finish. We can get together Sunday if you like. I have to help out at the store tomorrow."

"I don't know. My mom and I have plans for this weekend. We're going to go hiking on the Cherry Creek Falls trail. It's a nice place to hike with well-maintained trails and a nice view of the falls," Isra replied happily. Her eyes were twinkling in delight.

Neha laughed and shook her head slightly. "I should have known. You love hiking as much as I love programming computers. I couldn't last even ten minutes on a trail."

Isra raised an eyebrow and pointed to her friend's outfit. "If you're wearing that you couldn't, but if you switched into sensible clothing, you could handle it."

"Nah, I like indoor activities. You're the one who loves being outdoors adventuring. I think it's great how much mother daughter bonding you do. I wish I could find something in common to do with my mom."

The bus finally arrived on the girls block. The Beacon Hill neighborhood had its own unique architectural style homes. Neha lived in a Craftsman style bungalow and Isra lived in the Seattle Box house style next door. The girls power walked to their houses, wave goodbye to each other, and went inside their homes.

Isra headed into the kitchen to make a snack for herself. Her mother wouldn't be home from work, at the El Centro de la Raza for another hour. Isra's mom was part of the advocacy department fighting for civil rights and helping the communities near and far during crises.

Her mom valued the truth and would fight until it was revealed. While this made her extremely popular and beloved by the community, other people didn't appreciate her revealing secrets to the city. Once in a while, they would receive threatening mail or attacks. However, her mom never worried about them and after a day or two, the threats would end.

Isra headed into the living room with her snack, peanut butter apple slices, and turned on the TV. Her mother allowed her to watch half an hour of TV before she started her homework. She couldn't watch anymore until she had completed her homework and had dinner.

Isra munched on her snack, watching a rerun of "Untold Stories of the ER", when the program was interrupted by a news announcement. That made her raise her eyebrows high, because the channel never had news on it.

"Good afternoon people of Seattle. We have breaking news. A strange and powerful massive storm is moving from east to west. Never before has this kind of storm system happened in Washington. Further complicating matters, is the meteorologists believe the storm started in New York City and is moving at alarming rate, without losing any momentum and power.

Seattle is expected to encounter the front of the massive storm tomorrow or Sunday. People are urged to cancel outdoor plans and stay at home. Make sure you are well prepared and have enough food to last for a few days, should this storm get worse. We now return you to your usual program."

Isra turned off the TV and sighed. "No hiking this weekend this weekend. Mom will never go for it if there's a storm warning. Better check to see if our disaster kit is fully stocked."

She opened the closet in the entrance hallway and started going through the supplies. Two flashlights with extra batteries, blankets, and emergency radio were in working order. Extra clothes and a first aid kit were also ready to use.

She was double checking to see if her Mom remembered to roll up the sleeping bags up, when the door opened. "Isra, what are you doing with all our disaster supplies out?"

"Didn't you hear about the storm warning on the radio? We've got a storm coming from east. According to the news, this hasn't happened before." Isra put the items back in the closet and followed her mom into the kitchen.

Thea Daimona was a beautiful woman in her late thirties. Her shoulder blond hair was the color of corn silk. Her eyes were a soft brown and full of life. She had a small nose, strong cheekbones and her complexion showed her Greek ancestry.

Unlike her daughter, Thea was slightly above average height and her figure was perfectly curved in all the right places. Even when she was wearing her work clothes, a casual business outfit, people would stop and stare, whispering comments on how pretty she was. Many people had asked her on a date only for her to politely decline them.

Thea had adopted Isra when she was only a day old after her birth parents gave her up. Being a single woman raising a kid had been difficult. Thea liked the challenge and she had made sure Isra had a good quality life. They were extremely close to one another. Mother and daughter spent a lot of time together bonding.

Thea blinked her eyes with a slight frown on her face. She looked outside and saw the sky was starting to fill with dark clouds. "Hmm, did the news tell what kind of storm was heading this way?"

"Not really, but I suspect its some kind of massive wind and rain storm."

Thea muttered something softly before turning back to her daughter. "I think its best we cancel our hike on Sunday. Hopefully the weather won't prevent me from getting to work tomorrow. If this storm is as bad as they say, the Center will need me to help out."

Isra blinked her eyes in confusion. She knew her mother was dedicated to her job, but she wasn't sure that it would be wise to go out in unusual storm tomorrow or Sunday. She knew the Center closed during severe weather, but it was also the first place to open its doors when the community needed a safe haven to stay.

Thea patted her daughter on the head. "I know what you're thinking Isra, but I promise you I'll be fine. The truth is, I'm needed more than ever right now at the Center. We've been having some legal trouble lately with a company wanting to take over the Center and neighborhood. I'm the only one who has managed to keep them away."

"What's the company called?" she asked curiously.

"Triumvirate Holdings. What I've researched about the company makes me very uneasy. If the Center has any hope of remaining open, then I need to be there," Thea stated in very stern voice. Her body language indicated she was very determined to keep this shady company away.

After dinner, Isra went upstairs to her bedroom. The design of the house meant there were only eight rooms total in the house. The downstairs contained the; the entry hall, living room, kitchen, and the dining room. Upstairs, there was the bathroom and three bedrooms. One of the bedrooms had been converted into an office.

Isra's room was the one with the huge bay windows with a small balcony. She loved being able to sit on the window seat and enjoy the view of the mountains. Pulling out her homework, the young freshman started outlining her language family report. As she wrote, she practiced saying some words in Farsi.

The next morning, the massive storm hadn't arrived yet. The sky was still dark as more clouds arrived. The wind was picking up slightly. The scent of rain filled the neighborhood. The storm would mostly likely reach the city by the afternoon. People were hurrying to gather more supplies before it started.

At El Centro de la Raza, Thea arrived earlier than usual. She headed into her office to review her notes on Triumvirate Holdings. There wasn't a lot of information on them, at least to the public. However, she had her ways of getting to the truth.

The company had a web page, but it had little information on it. All it had on it was the company name, a brief summary of its mission, and what they looked for in employees.

Thea glared at the page, knowing it had secrets and wasn't being honest with her. Opening another tab, she started to search for more information. It wasn't easy, but she managed to track down a few anonymous postings, which talked about the company's dirty tactics in obtaining property and money.

Clearly this company is trying to take over the United States. They had holdings in every state and even more property in the other continents. What was remarkable is she was unable to discover when this company had started and who was in charge.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching her, the woman pressed her hand on the computer screen, switching back to the home page. "Reveal the truth to me. Who are the three people running Triumvirate Holdings?"

A humming noise could be heard coming from the computer screen. The webpage was blinking rapidly, as the pixels started to realign in a different order. A red fire wall appeared on the screen trying to block the intrusion, only to vanish a few seconds later.

Thea removed her hand from the screen. There were three pictures on the screen with small amount of information under them. She clicked the first picture to blow it up. It wasn't a great photo, seeing as it was blurry, but she could tell it was a man in a purple suit. Even blurry, his looks were undesirable.

The information identified him as Nero Germanicus. A cold, brutal, and violent individual. He was a master manipulator and loved expensive homes and burning things down. He had an alias, the Beast, which was disconcerting to read.

The second photo was clearer. The man's face was fully visible, though his choice in clothing left much to be desired. It looked like he was endeavoring to look like Hercules, only he looked appalling wearing a lion skin.

The information didn't give his real name for some reason. Instead he was listed as the New Hercules. The information went further on describing him as ruthless and paranoid person, who loved insane fights and creating cities, named after him. It also said he would kill on a whim.

Thea was about to click on the third picture, when she heard footsteps coming closer. She swiped her hand over the screen returning it to normal. Fixing her hair, she looked up and smiled at her boss. "Good morning Fernando, how are you doing today?"

"I'm well Thea, thank you for asking. I'm glad you came in early. I wanted to ask how you're doing with, creating a legal argument, to keep Triumvirate from getting a hold of this place."

"It's coming along. I'm having a bit of difficulty finding information about the company, but I'm positive I can stop them. I'll try to not let you down."

Fernando grinned and assured her, he could never be disappointed with his hardest employee. "You always get to the truth of the matter. I'm sure you'll find something we can use. Good luck Thea."

The man turned around a headed for his office. Thea started writing down what she had discovered. If what she suspected was true, then her happy and simple life, was in jeopardy.

Thea continued her efforts to learn more about the company and the origins of the CEOs. Even her best legal defense couldn't protect the Center, if the CEOs turned out to be the people she feared.

She was typing another search in when she heard someone calling her name. She looked up from her desk and saw a friend of hers, Elfeda Sanchez, standing in the doorway. "I should have guessed you would forget our lunch date. You the only person I know who could be so focused, you can't hear the world around you."

"I'm really sorry Elfeda. I've been distracted today."

Elfeda nodded and told her to look outside. The wind was getting stronger and they could hear thunder. The sky looked ready to burst open and flood the city. "I came to tell you, that the Center is closing right now. With the storm about to hit, everyone feels they should get home and be with their families. Should I accompany you home?"

Thea stood up and told her absolutely not. "It's only a few minutes to my home. You're the one with a twenty minute drive ahead of you. Go! I'll be okay." She shooed her friend away and took everything she needed to work on home.

While she was driving she whispered a prayer under her breath. "Mighty Aeolus calm your sons, the Anemoi. Zeus almighty, please keep your temper under control for a few more minutes."

She parked the car and the second she passed through the threshold, the storm let loose. Pouring rain came down in sheets. The thunder was unbelievably loud and the lightning flashed several times in sequence. The winds were getting even stronger than before as the temperature started to drop. With this happening, there was a good chance for ice and hail to form later.

"Isra, where are you?" Thea called out anxiously.

"I'm in the dining room!" Isra had laid out the entire disaster supplies. She had taken the initiative to board up the windows in the house while her mom was at work. It had taken a lot of effort to push the table into the kitchen and clear the room of any probable dangers.

Each corner of the room had supplies neatly stacked up and there was a tent sent up in the middle of the room, with their sleeping bags in it. "I restocked the emergency rations and made sure we had enough water to last a few days. I've checked to make sure everything is in working order. Do you think we're ready?"

Thea chuckled lightly. "We have everything we need and more my little rainbow." It was a pet name because Isra meant rainbow in Persian. Let's finish prepping the house."

Together, they went from room to room, covering the furniture and boarding the windows. Putting breakable or dangerous objects into the closet. Unplugging the electronics while putting them into waterproof bags should there be any flooding.

"This wasn't the kind of mother daughter bonding I had in mind for the weekend. At least, we are still spending time together right Isra?" Thea asked as she placed her laptop into a bag. They were in her office finishing up the prepping.

She looked behind her and saw Isra in the small closet, her fingers brushing against some photo albums. Thea went white as a sheet and screamed. "ISRA STOP!"

Startled, Isra pulled her hand back and looked frighteningly at her mother. "Mom, what's wrong? Why are you so upset…."

"I told you never to go into my office closet!" Thea snapped at her daughter. She stalked over to the closet, her corn silk hair bouncing angrily. Her brown eyes appeared to turn black for a few seconds.

She raised her left hand to slap her daughter, who was cowering in fear, not understanding her mom's fury. Seeing this, Thea calmed down. She backed away and looked at her hand in shame.

"I'm sorry Isra. I shouldn't have gotten upset. I don't know why I was furious," Thea whispered. She looked down at her feet as she rubbed them together. "It's just, there are very personal items in the closet, and the photo albums are one of them."

Isra blinked a few times. "I don't understand Mom." The teenager hazel eyes scanned the huge pile of photo albums. They didn't appear to be damaged. "Why are these photo albums private?"

"They contain painful memories of the past. One's I'm not ready to share with you just yet. One day, I'll be ready to show you, but today isn't that day." Thea looked up and wiped some tears from her face. "Why don't you go back downstairs? I'll join you once I'm finished here."

Isra left the office, clutching her arms together as she descended to the first floor. "Mom's shared everything with me before, so why is she upset over a few albums?

Come to think of it, why is the closet off limits? I can't recall the reason she said I wasn't allowed inside it. I only glanced at the albums. What else could be in the closet she doesn't want me to see?"

Isra crawled into the tent and tried to recall a time her mother had ever kept a secret from her before. Laying down on her sleeping bag, she looked up to the top of the tent, wondering when her mom would appear.

"Mom's always told me how important the truth is and that lies create more pain and confusion then truth, even when the truth hurts. She told me to never hide anything from her." Rolling to her side and stroked the top of the sleeping bag. "Why is she hiding a secret from me then?"

Upstairs in the office closest, Thea sat on the floor with an album in her lap. To her left was miniature well figurine. On her right was a box, with some old clothing and a beautifully polished hand mirror with a goddess grip. On the back of the mirror spelled out in Ancient Greek, "Truth frees the soul".

Thea felt a tear drop slide down her face as she looked at one photograph. It was faded, but it showed handsome old man with salt and pepper hair holding hands with an old woman, whose white hair had traces of corn silk blond locks.

Tilting the album, Thea traced another photo. This one showed a pretty sixteen year old girl at a party with friends. She had an attractive smile and big brown eyes held joy in them.

Another picture, this one of a newborn baby with a small nose, being held by a couple, who looked like the child was the greatest treasure in the world.

Closing the album, she put them and the figurine in the box, which magically expanded, to accommodate the items. She then moved a storage bin from the back and popped open section of floorboard. There was a small safe, which she put the box in and closed it up tight.

"One days Isra, you'll understand. Truth is important, but finding the right time to tell it, can be difficult."

The massive storm shut down the city for a few days. By Tuesday, the storm had sputtered out and the streets of Seattle were being cleared of any debris. People were tending to their flooded yards and inspecting damage on their homes. Power companies were fixing the lines.

At school, Isra was talking to Neha about the incident with her mom, as she gathered her books for first period. "It was really weird Neha. It wasn't just that she was angry about me nearly touching the albums. She almost looked petrified."

"That is strange indeed. I wonder what could be so private, she's almost willing to slap you for being near them. Any ideas?" Neha asked as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

Glancing at the hallway clock, Isra shut her locker and shrugged her shoulders. "The only thing I know is she said they connect to her past. She doesn't really like to talk about her past or her family. She'll share stories and talk about them in general, at times. However, she's never revealed their names to me or where they live."

Neha mouth formed an o shape. "Whoa, that's strange times ten. Maybe you should investigate this? Find out the truth for yourself," she suggested.

"Maybe. I got to get to class. See you later!" Isra hurried to her STEM wing while Neha hurried to hers.

Thea was at work, finishing up the details on her legal argument, to prevent the Center from being bought out. It was a good argument, but it wouldn't help if Triumvirate Holdings decided to use dirty tactics to get what they wanted.

"Hmm, I'll need to figure out who would be approached to take a bribe or who would be hired to intimate us. If I can get to them first, I might have a chance of keeping the company at bay for a little longer."

The phone of her desk rang and she picked it up. "Hello, Thea Daimona speaking. How can I help you?"

"You can help by talking to me dear sister. It's been awhile," a female voice replied. It was silky with a hint of mischief. Thea paled greatly upon hearing the voice.

"I'm not your sister!" she hissed loudly into the phone. Her colleagues starred at her. They had never heard Thea sound so forceful and angry before.

Not wanting to seen or heard by her coworkers, she whispered her cell number to the person on the other end of the line and told them to call her back in five minutes. Putting the phone down with a little more force than necessary, she announced that she taking a break and hurried out the door.

Five minutes later, she was in her car, doors locked and windows all the way up. Her phone rang and she answered it immediately. "Why are you calling me? I thought I told you that I was done with you. I thought we both agreed to leave each other alone."

"Sister, I don't think I've ever heard you sound so angry. Are you trying to sound civil when you're truly angry? I guess you enjoy lying more than telling the truth."

"Cut it out Pseudologoi. I was honest with you before. I never wanted to talk to you again. I would also like to remind you we don't share the same parents."

You could almost hear Pseudologoi rolling her eyes on the other end of the conversation. "Fine, let's not bring up past history. I was calling to let you know something interesting has happened. Since you can always tell if someone is lying, you'll know what I'm about to say is true."

"Which is what?"

"Apollo has been made mortal. He's on a quest to regain his godhood. I was wondering if you wanted to join the betting pool. Zelos is collecting the bets on how long Apollo will survive on the quest. I bet six drachma he'll die while traveling to find his next Oracle. What about you?" She inquired with glee.

"I'm not interested in betting. Please don't call me again."

Pseudologoi let out a very loud exhalation. "Alright, I won't bother you again. Trust me though, you'll be contacted by a lot of old friends before the day ends. After all, the whole D list group watches out for one another."

The call ended and Thea took a deep breath. Then she took a few more. "Pseudologoi always lies. I'm sure the others won't be contacting me. They respected my decision years ago. They've kept their promise to not contact me unless it was a serious emergency."

She returned to work, and attempted to continue her research. Thea thought the mayor of the city and council board would be likely suspects to take a bribe. Before she could start looking into the financial background, her office phone rang again.

Once more she answered the phone. This time she had a surprised expression on her face. She couldn't believe who was calling her. "Come again?"

"I said it's wonderful to hear your voice again. You wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to find you. Isn't that right Elpis?" a beautiful and compassionate voice stated.

A muffled female voice replied. "That's right, Eleus."

"I'm sure you heard the news about what happened to the A-list Apollo. Isn't it sad? I wish I could go and comfort him. He deserves someone to pity him. At last, Eleus and I, can't afford a road trip right now."

Thea touched her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm glad you called me dear Eleus. I just don't understand why you did."

"Because, I wanted to ask if you would go in our place. According to Elpis, who had a recent conversation with her daughter, Pheme, Apollo is being accompanied by Calypso of all people! She says they just left Camp Half Blood two days ago!"

Thea rubbed her forehead, wincing, from the gossip. "Thank you for the information. I also happen to be too busy to go on a road trip. Have a nice day, good bye."

Hanging up the phone she started typing on her keyboard when she got another phone call. This one was from an old friend by the name of Horcus. According to him, there was an oath breaker trying to find Apollo. He was appalled that a demigod would break an oath to an Olympian.

After saying goodbye, Thea got up and went to Fernando's office. She knocked and he looked up. "What can I help you with Thea?" the young man asked.

"I need to take the rest of the day off. My old friends and family keep calling me about a problem with one of my distant relatives. I promise to come back in once the calls stop coming in." She was utterly exhausted by the three calls she had received already.

Fernando told her to take as much time off as she needed to deal with her family problem. He also assured her job was safe and someone else could continue working on the brief.

Thea went home and locked herself in her office. She pulled out an old contact book. The book had been slightly modified to allow more detailed information about an individual. Some of the details contained were relations, current status, and domains.

After updating four pages, she turned her cell back on, after having turned it off to avoid calls while she was driving. Her cell showed she had missed three calls from people named; Bia, Hedone, and Philotes.

She would have to wait to call them back. She was already getting another call. It was from Anteros, who according the contact book, held domain over requited love. "Hello Anteros. It's been a few decades since I last heard from you. Where are you calling me from?"

"I'm vacationing in Ireland. I figure I hang out with some new friends. They sure know how to make a guy feel welcomed. So I suppose you heard the news?"

"Of course I have. It seems like all our surviving group friends, are enjoying the news about Apollo. I understand the yearning to gossip and make fun of an A list person's problems. I'm just apprehensive about getting convoluted with this."

"You're not the only one. Most of us have managed to survive this long by keeping our heads down. In a rush to boost their status or get payback, many of our friends are being reckless," Anteros replied in a calming tone. Even from across the world, he knew how to help people feel safe.

"True. Could you please do me a favor? Can you get in touch with the rest of our group and persuade them to leave me alone for now. I've got a lot to do."

"I'll try my best. Have a good rest of your day." The phone turned off as the woman tilted herself back in her chair. She flicked a switch on the chair and it started massaging her aching back.

Her phone vibrated and she hit ignore when she saw it was Himeros, (sexual love). She had no patience to talk with him. A few seconds later she erased a text message sent to her by Moros, (foreseen doom). She did take a call from Sophrosyne, (self-control and discretion).

When Isra got home, she was surprised to find her mom lying on the couch with an ice pack on her head. "Mom! You're home early. Are you feeling sick?"

"A severe headache and slightly stressed out. I've been getting calls all day from my old friends and some of my extended family."

"Extended family? You never told me anything about them. Will I get to meet them?"

Thea complained her headache was too severe to talk about this right now. The reasons for the calls had stressed her out to much. She was taking the rest of the week off. "When I'm better we will talk about this, I promise. Right now, I need to rest."

Isra bit her lip. Her mother had been acting very strange and her personality was starting to change. She was becoming sterner and brisk with everyone. "I hope you feel better soon Mom."

"Me too my rainbow. Me too."

The rest of the week, Isra did her best to take some of the stress off her mom. She took care of cleaning the house and cooking meal. She made her mom's bed the fluffiest and coziest room in the house. She offered to handle her mother's constant calls, but was told they were personal.

When Isra came home on Saturday afternoon, she had been helping Neha sort her art supplies, to find her mom on the phone with her boss. Interestingly, there were several labeled boxes in the dining and living room.

"I'm sorry to leave you in a lurch Fernando. If I had known how bad things were earlier, I would have given you more of a notice of my intentions."

Thea paced the length of the kitchen, listening to the other end of her conversation. Her expression was gloomy while her voice was robust and resolute. She let out a little laugh as she responded to whatever Fernando just said.

"I know, you can't predict family crises from happening. I love my family I really do, but there was a reason I left them years ago. The truth is, I need to get involved and help out. My cousin once removed, is in real trouble.

No, he's gotten really sick and all members of the family have to help out in any way they can. I don't know how long it will take, which is why I have to leave Seattle regrettably."

Isra dropped her purse upon hearing those words. Thea looked up at her daughter and saw the tears running down her face. Angrily, Isra ran upstairs, leaving her mom in the kitchen.

She flung herself onto her window seat, crying angrily as she clutched a pillow tightly. "Moving? When was she going to tell me this? Why do we have to go help a family member she never told me about before? This is unfair!"

She pressed her hands against the window, the trying to memorize the view so she wouldn't forget it. Seattle was the only home she had ever known. How could her mom do this to her. "What about what I want? I don't want to leave school and try to fit in during the spring semester! Where and when are we leaving?"

There was a knock on the door. Isra considered telling her mom to go away. However, she had been drilled in proper manners so she told her mom to enter. Isra refused to look at her mom, her attention firmly locked on the view.

"I know you're upset with me. Both because of my abrupt behavior and this unexpected move. None of this is fair to you. It's not even fair to me because I love living here with you," Thea admitted as she sat on her daughter's bed with a sad smile.

"Then why are you doing this? You never really talk about your family and certainly haven't visited any of them. Until this week, you've been ignoring them since you adopt me! Why?" Isra demanded to know. Her angry expression was reflected in the windows for her mom to see.

"Please, look at me Isra. There is so much to tell you, and I'm going to be truthful as I can, for now. The rest will be revealed when we move to our new home in Indianapolis."

Isra hazel eyes widened even more. Indianapolis was halfway across the country. It was two hours ahead of Seattle making talking to Neha rather challenging.

Getting up from the window seat, she sat on her bed next to her mom, with her hands folded together. She raised her head a little to show she was listening.

Thea placed a hand over her daughter's and spoke to her softly. "My family is very large and complicated. There's always been in fighting between us. It happens when your family is large and in charge of rather large, corporation so to speak."

"Please tell me the rest of our family are mob bosses," Isra interrupted.

Thea laughed and assured her they weren't involved in organized crime or any other kind of criminal activities. "Years ago, there a huge disagreement between our family members. What we were arguing about, I'll tell you later. For now, all you need to understand is that a lot of my family decided to move away from home and live apart from each other."

Again, Isra interrupted. "Must have been a big disagreement because you stopped communicating with each other."

"Yes, and we all had other reasons, for not wanting to contact one another. That situation has changed. As you heard earlier my cousin is very sick. His condition is critical, but he's still delusional about it.

Another cousin of mine, has asked me to go home to help out. She believes I'm the only one who can make him face the truth. There is also a job waiting for me at one of my family's properties. There is also a bonus for moving."

"Which is what?" Isra asked, her eyes finally fully locked on with her mom's.

"That company whose been trying to buy out the Center, one of their CEO's happens to live in Indianapolis. By living there, I can keep an eye on him and find a way to protect the Center here, from being taken over."

A very good reason to move Isra thought to herself. Mom hasn't seen her family in so long. It sounds to me she's trying to mend fences with her relatives because she misses them. Maybe I can finally meet my grandparents.

Smoothing her hair out Isra spoke up. "I'm still mad about the situation. At the same time I understand why you need to do this. For you, I'll do my best to handle the situation."

Thea kissed her daughter on the head. "I understand. We'll be leaving on Tuesday. Why don't you help me pack the house now, so you can spend tomorrow with Neha? I'm sure it's going to be hard to say goodbye."

"Can I have our new address so she can send me letters? She's old fashion remember?"

Thea nodded. "I'll give it you once we're properly settled in. Come my rainbow, we have a lot of packing to do."