Blessings from Khaos

|Love is something eternal, the aspect may change, but not the essence|

Footsteps pounded up the Hill, and Lea turned her to see who was coming to bother her.

It was the Stolls.

Her infamous stepchildren at the camp. She still read their book "How to Survive the Monsters and the Gods Above Us " subtitled "So, You're A Demigod Now ".

"Can I help you," she asked dryly when they came to stand before her and did nothing but stare.

"As our favorite stepmother—" the one she thought was Connor started.

"Don't call me that."

"—we come with a favor to ask as your favorite stepchildren."

"Don't call yourselves that."

The three of them stared at each other.

"What do you want," Lea asked.

"Cabin inspections are coming up and Silena's over it," the one she was sure was Travis said. "She's an absolute neat freak, the worst inspector. She liked things to be pretty. It's too many of us in one cabin to do 'pretty'."

"What's in it for me," Lea mused, a small smirk on her face.

The shorter one that she believed to be Connor, placed a hand on his chest and smiled, "With nothing but a stick of bubble gum and a toothpick, I can get you the The Koh-i-Noor Diamond."

"Diamonds are not this girl's best friend," she snorted. And that was without mentioning it to be cursed and whatnot. "Why don't you get Alabaster or Lou Ellen or any of their siblings to use their mageia?"

"It's not their Mom's cabin." Travis explained. "The protections placed on it sees it as them trying to steal the cabin and what kind of thief would Dad be if he didn't have preventive measures?"

"And you think I can do it?"

"Well... I mean... you're his khaos' mate. The cabin is a symbol of his power and thus connected to him."

"Whatever."

She stood to her feet, letting out a sharp whistle. Salome came bounding out the strawberry fields. The saber-tooth tiger slid over to her side easily. Like Peleus, it had grown in size though that may have had something to do with her mageia that she was feeding it—just like Arkas had moved from the size of a pendant to the size of a mini backpack purse. The tiger gave them an once-over before dismissing them as it cuddled up to her.

She pretended not to notice the way that both of them took a few steps out of her personal space as she followed down to the camp proper.

The Eleventh Cabin had always looked like a regular old summer camp cabin since Lea was first kidnapped and brought there. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint peeling. Over the doorway was Hermes' kērū́keion.

(She still thought that the talking snakes were a bit much, but Martha and George were hilarious.)

Alabaster was leaning against the cabin, smoky and mist-like mageia twirling around his fingers. There was a smirk playing on his face as he looked at her, "So, they managed to convince you to do it?"

"Shut up," she murmured with a smile. Alabaster gave her a wink before snapping his fingers. A plate filled with what she had come to realize were deer meat appeared in front of Salome. The tiger devoured the food before she could even protest.

"Alright, mother dearest," Alabaster teased, stepping to the side.

"I will punch you," Lea huffed, summoning her grimoire to her hand, flipping through the pages quickly. She hummed, moving closer to the building.