AN - Hey everyone! As promised, this is the first chapter of the remake of Life Skills 101. As you can see, it is very LOOSELY based on my previous story. I've changed a lot of the plot, and situations. I am very happy with the final result. Oh, and please tell me if you see any grammatical errors! I apologize for not having revised this for you! I wanted to go ahead and treat y'all to the first chapter. I'll go back and revise later on. Thanks in advance!

Story: Unplanned Parenthood

Description: The Gods have a huge task awaiting the campers back in Camp Half-Blood. The task is worse than new monsters to fight. What could this task be?

Chapter: Just a Walk in the Park.

Chapter 1: Just a Walk in the Park

"Good Gods," Hera whistled as she stared at the busy streets of New York City with slight shock. She couldn't believe that mortals were actually intelligent enough to build something that was, well – grand. Of course it wasn't as brilliant as Mount Olympus itself. Nothing could ever compare to Mount Olympus, they had the brat of Athena spawn to thank for that, but it was still a job well done. However, NYC still deserved a pat on the back, she mused thoughtfully.

Skyscrapers towered the light blue sky, and since she had shrunken down to normal (well for a mortal) size, they seemed incredibly great. The mortals walked on the sidewalks, and there was always some commotion brewing, whether it was a lewd comment from the street pervert, or a string of curse words coming from the busy drivers on the street.

The last time she had actually waltzed into the mortal world was probably around two centuries ago, which then again, wasn't too long ago. Besides, she thought haughtily, she didn't have a reason to actually visit, and she despised the mortal world anyways. It reminded her of Zeus's infidelities, and how he had loved other women.

The goddess bristled, she didn't like thinking about how he was always unfaithful, while she, on the other hand, was as faithful as you could possibly get. She gave him her heart, her soul, her life – what more could he want? He repaid her with fathering illegitimate sons and daughters, and he also had the nerve to ask if she could forgive him.

Every. Damn. Time.

She always forgave him, and she hated herself for doing so. The only reason she forgave him was because she loved him. She just couldn't imagine a life without him. He had always been there for her, and she liked that. She was willing to compromise, even if he was not.

She didn't understand why he loved other mortal women. They weren't as beautiful as she was, they weren't as charming as her, and they certainly weren't as powerful as she was. What was there to love? Her lips thinned into a tight line, and she glared at nothing in general. The appeal of New York was certainly quite a bit less than it was a few moments ago.

The last time she had visited the mortal world was during the colonial times. The colonial times were when Athena would gloat to anyone abouther sons' latest accomplishments. If Hera had to hear another gloat about how George was the 1st president, or about how Ben Franklin invented the lightning god, she would most likely have to strangle the goddess. Good thing the brats were dead, she thought wryly.

To be frank, she didn't exactly have a reason to visit the mortal world today. If she had a choice, she would never visit the mortal world. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever! It was a waste of time, she thought, but if the other Gods wished to visit, it didn't quite matter to her. However, there was something that compelled her to visit the mortal world, and she had learned quite soon to listen to her conscious. She knew something was waiting for her, but the question is, what exactly was it?

She tugged on her gray pea coat, pulling it closer to her, before continuing towards a nearby park, preferring to bask in the comfort of nature over the bustling crowds. She wasn't obsessed with nature like Demeter, but she didn't absolutely abhor it like Aphrodite.

She pushed open the black gate, and started to walk on the pathway leading to the playground. The park was quite beautiful, to be honest. Flowers of all colors adorned the pathway, and the sound of laughter filled the air. In the corner of her eye, she spied a playground, complete with its own mini merry-go-round and such.

She smiled at the sight in front of her, and walked towards the playground. Making her way to a mahogany colored bench, she sat down, a full out grin appearing on her beautiful face.

It was honestly one of the best sights she had ever seen, and a close second included Zeus's lovely body. He most likely had the most beautiful chest she had ever seen. Of course she hadn't seen many, but anyone could appreciate a nice view. In her defense, she couldn't touch but boy could she look!

A small tug on her arm brought her out of her, uh, lovely daydreams. She turned around hastily, glaring at the poor soul who interrupted her one-sided dream about Zeus and his lovely chest. Her glare disappeared completely as she saw the most adorable looking boy she had ever seen.

Blond tufts of hair covered his pretty little head, and he had the largest emerald eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing a black pair of shorts with a couple holes on the side of them, as well as a baggy gray shirt. In fact, the young boy quite resembled a beggar, or a beggar's son. The boy's bottom lip trembled under her gaze. With a small gulp and a determined look, he pointed to a small and quite dirty ball that had seemed to have rolled under her bench.

Reaching down, and picking up the ball, she couldn't help but smile at the young boy as she gave it back to him. The boy immediately left, and she chose to watch him play with the other children.

To her surprise, the boy sat all alone in the grass. He picked up the ball and bounced it, giggling as it would roll away from him. He stood up and walked towards it, picking it up.

"Which one's yours?" she heard a voice ask. Hera turned around, and realized a woman had suddenly filled the seat next to her. The woman was your stereotypical soccer mom. She wore jeans that looked like they had been worn several times, and a deep red NYC sweatshirt. Her dark hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and she had dark circles underneath her blue eyes.

"Sorry?" Hera asked.

The woman let out a small laugh, "The children. Which one's yours?"

"Oh," Hera coughed, "My children aren't here. They're all grown," she said wanly, thinking of her own children, who were in deed, quite grown. "Which ones are yours?" she asked politely, more out of courtesy than anything else. She honestly didn't care, but it was only polite to answer.

The woman smiled, before she pointed at the group of dark haired boys playing on the swing sets. "Those three rascals are mine," she said wryly. "The name's Sandra, yours?"

"June," she said, offering the woman a small smile. She continued to watch the strange young boy with the emerald eyes once more. She found herself wanting to know more about the young boy with the soft blonde hair and bright green eyes. "What's the name of the boy with the angelic hair and green eyes?" she asked the woman again.

Following her gaze, Sandra smiled fondly at the young boy she was asking about. "Ah, that's the Barnes boy. He's such a sweet boy, a little on the quiet side, but sweet nonetheless. His mother's a real piece of work." Her voice was filled with contempt when she had talked about the young boy's mother.

"What do you mean?" Hera wondered, still watching the young boy. The boy was now throwing the ball up in the air, smiling as it would come back into his arms.

"It was the scandal of the century, honestly. The mother, Brittney, was the preacher's only daughter, and she was quite a darling. She was the perfect daughter, but then one day, she became pregnant. And she was only 17! The preacher threw his daughter out of his house, and they've been living by themselves since!" Sandra sniffed. It was clear to Hera she felt quite above the preacher and his family drama.

"What about the father?" Hera asked quietly, still wanting to know more about the young boy.

"No one knew who he was." Sandra said disappointedly, "Probably some alcoholic or druggie," she said knowingly. "My friend Anna actually –

Hera curled her lip, this was exactly the reason she disliked mortals. They were all so foolish and idiotic. They made Aphrodite, the Queen of Gossip herself, look like the smartest woman in the world. She knew that Aphrodite had a few loose screws in the head. She nodded every few seconds at the mortal woman, and continued watching the young boy.

A tall dark haired figure walked towards the boy, and grabbed his arm roughly, knocking the ball out of his sweet hands.

Ignoring Sandra's angered huff, she walked towards the two people. When she made it towards the two, she told the woman shrewdly "I'm sorry, but I don't think you should treat a young child that way" her eyes moving towards the bruise that was starting to form on the young child's arm.

The dark haired woman glared at her, before responding curtly, "If you think you could do better, take the brat yourself."

Hera's back straightened, before she glared at 'Tori' fiercely, "I would be a better parent than you, of course. In fact, anyone could be a better parent than you. In fact, even your druggie boyfriend would be a better parent than you could possibly be."

The woman froze, before she blinked back a glimpse of tears. "You bitch," she said quietly. "You complete bitch!" she screamed, before shoving the boy towards Hera, and stomping away angrily. Hera glared at the woman with even more contempt than before. She vowed that the bitch of a lady would suffer in the Fields of Punishment over and over again. The menace deserved it!

Hera turned around and saw all of the mothers and children watching her gapingly. Sandra; however, looked like it was a dream come true. Obviously, she would have several things to tell her friends at the next book club meeting.

She glanced down at her feet, spying tears in the young boy's emerald eyes. She treated him to the warmest smile she could ever make. "Sweetheart," she said, "Would you like to come live with me?"

The young boy bit his lip, before looking at her questionably. "No more mean mummy?"

"No sweetie, no more mean mummy." She said softly.

The young boy nodded slowly, before he treated her to a hesitant smile. "Ok."

The boy clutched her hand, and Hera couldn't help but smile.

Unknowingly, with that tiny smile, the young boy had seemed to worm his way to Hera's heart.

Zeus couldn't help but be slightly worried. His wife was missing, and he couldn't find her anywhere, and according to the other Gods, they too, had not seen the Queen of the Gods. She wasn't in their palace, or in the gardens, or anywhere else that she enjoyed being. The King of the Gods was getting quite worried. He was even considering hosting a council meeting about his wife's whereabouts.

A ding broke him out of his thoughts, and the elevator from the mortal world opened. Out stood Hera, but she was carrying a young boy.

Zeus immediately stood up and glared at his wife, "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" he said angrily, before he continued, "Next time you should tell me where you're going."

Hera glared at him fiercely, "I don't see how it is any of your business where I choose to spend my time."

"Damn right it is. I'm the King of the Gods!" Zeus spluttered angrily, his eyes turning darker by the second. "We will continue this discussion later. Now, who is the brat you're carrying," he finished, his livid gaze towards the young boy.

"That brat is my son." Hera replied firmly, "And if you'll excuse me, I will take him into my chambers," she said, before she walked away with the elegance only a Queen could have.

Hey everyone! Do you like it so far? Tell me what you think! Oh, and I'm looking for a beta and muse. Any volunteers? Pleaaaase! Don't forget to review! And, I know, there's no camp action, but don't worry. It'll happen soon! Also, I'm making a gallery of images for this story. Links are on my profile!

-singbirdsing