(Alex's POV)
Alex turned to see Layla standing behind her. Layla suddenly spun around and started sprinting back towards camp.
"Oh no you don't!" Alex said getting up following her friend at full speed. Alex was surprised of how well Layla knew the forest, she took short turns and often jumped over logs trying to lose Alex. But, being a daughter of Athena, Alex knew Layla's every move.
Alex noticed they had just pasted be rock shaped like Zeus's fist, only a but more to go and they were back in the clearing of camp. Alex started running faster, she was getting closer to Layla but every time Layla passed another tree, it seemed to go on forever.
Finally, Layla tripped over a tree root and fell face first into the ground. Alex took her chance and tackled her cousin until she was holding Layla's hand to the ground so the poor black haired girl couldn't move.
"Get off!" Layla pleaded, Alex ignored her. Alex stared Layla directly in the eyes, ignoring that one stupid price of hair that just didn't want to cooperate and fell in front of her eyes.
"Don't you dare tell anyone, who hear me?!"
"You're not my boss."
"You're right... I'm not... But, I do know where you keep your stuffed-"
"SHUT UP I WON'T SAY ANYTHING!" Layla yelled so Alex wouldn't continue her sentence. Alex smiled in victory and leaned back, letting go of Layla's wrists but sitting her on her stomach instead.
"Y'know it's a pretty day out here in the forest, I might just sit here until dinner and-" Alex said as she finally tried to catch her breath.
"Get offa me I can't breath!" Layla said, her face was turning a blue-ish red.
"Oh gods I'm sorry!" Alex said when she noticed Layla's face. As soon as Alex got off of Layla's stomach, Layla took in a deep breath as if she had just come out of lake and had almost drowned.
The two of them stayed there catching their breath until the dinner horn went off. Alex gave Layla one last death glare and they separated to their own tables.
~~~
(Percy's POV)
The day after Percy and Sam had to rescue Annabeth and Alex from a spider, Layla, Junior, Annabeth and himself went to New York. Percy wanted Layla to meet Sally and Paul plus Annabeth and Alex refused to stay another day in the "spider infested cabin".
"You ready?" Percy asked his sister as they walked up to the door of his mothers apartment.
Layla looked up at him with scared and sad eyes.
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Layla said shyly. She then nodded and Percy opened the door.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home! I've brought someone who really wants to meet you too!" Percy yelled as he entered the apartment.
"Alright Percy we're coming!" Paul called from the living room. Percy felt Layla cling onto his side. She had her arms around him and her head just under his arm.
"Hey uh... Y'know what, wait once second." Percy said back. "Hey... It's okay, what's wrong?" He asked Layla in a whisper.
"I-I don't know. I don't know what to say to them or what they'll say to me I just don't know Percy!" Layla said in a whisper cry. She clung onto him and buried her face in his side.
"Awe sweetheart what's wrong?" Sally asked as she walked into the hallway. Percy gave her the, "Careful mom she's scared" look. Sally tilted her head and smiled.
"It's alright sweetie, are you alright?" Sally asked again, now she was in front of Percy, crouching by Layla. Layla shook her head, not leaving Percy's side.
"Layla it's okay, this is my mom, Sally Jackson." Percy said as calmly as he could. Paul had come over and gave Percy a "welcome home" pat on the shoulder.
"It's nice to meet you... Layla. How old are you honey?" Sally asked putting her hand on Layla's back.
"Fourteen." Layla said simply. A shadow of realization crossed Sally's face.
"Layla could you look at me please dear? Don't worry I don't bite." Sally said calmly and slightly jokingly.
Layla turned to face Sally. Sally's face went pale, looked like she was going to faint.
"Mom what's wrong?" Percy asked looking at his mother. Sally put her hand on Layla's cheek. Layla looked as if she'd been thrown in the past for a few seconds and Sally looked like she was about to cry.
"Makayla?" Sally choked out, tears almost falling from her eyes.
"How did you know my name?" Layla asked with a tone of surprise but her face didn't look shocked at all.
"Oh my baby girl it is you." Sally said pulling Layla into a hug. Layla looked slightly surprised but she hugged back.
Percy and Paul stood there in shock and joy. Both of them having no clue what the girls were talking about.
~~~
(Alex's POV)
Once Layla and Percy had gone into the apparent complex, Annabeth and Alex stood in silence for a few seconds.
"How do you think she'll take it?" Annabeth asked Alex after a few minutes. "I mean Layla."
"She'll be fine, she's a strong girl, I mean it's not like she's meeting her long lost parents or something." Alex said explaining Layla a little. The two girls had started walking down the street, having no idea where they were going, they just kept walking.
"So um... About that... What's your story, we don't really know each other that much so now we can talk. You go first." Annabeth said as they kept walking.
"Well... I was brought to the hospital by a women who never even gave her name. She dropped me and left, saying that I needed to be taken care of if I wanted to live past that night." Alex said recalling what her "parents" had repeated to her what the doctors had told them.
"I spent a month in the foster system and then I was adopted by Abigail and John O'Connell. They took me in and when I was two, I still remember the day they brought back a little baby girl from the hospital." Alex said as her and Annabeth walked out of a cafe, they had just grabbed some drinks.
"I'm guessing that baby was Layla." Annabeth said taking a sip of her coffee. They took a seat at a table under an umbrella in front of the cafe.
Alex nodded.
"I was so happy that I finally had a little sister to take care of, at this time I still thought I was actually their child. I looked a lot like John and Layla looked a lot like Abigail. But, anyways, we grew up together. We never fought and we always protected each other. We were both obsessed with books in which case we read a lot. And then, just this September, this old man in a wheelchair showed up. So, of course Layla and I were suspicious so we played along and Chiron kept us after class. He told us that one of us was beaming with the scent of a demigod." Alex explained as she just played with her fingers and stared at her drink.
"Layla, once again." Annabeth said taking another drink and smiling at Alex. Alex nodded again and smiled back.
"After that we went home and packed our bags for camp. But... Our parents found out what we were doing. They... They turned out to be... Kindly one." Alex said lowering her voice when she said the beasts name. Annabeth was mid sip when Alex that. She spat some of her drink back into her cup and wiped her chin.
"What?!" She said in pure shock. Alex laughed at her reaction.
"Yea. I had to do something to fend them off so I... I got rid of them, for now." Alex said, she wasn't sure if she was sad or proud of herself.
"And I... I honestly don't know how to feel about it. I'm proud of my self because one, I protected Layla. And two, I defeated two monsters without anyone's help. But... I'm sad because I realized my entire life was fake... A lie."
"Well... I'm proud of you for sure. But... I'm sorry about your parents. But... Did you ever wonder how you killed them? Because it's not like mortals leave swords laying around everywhere."
"I threw a knife at them. I killed John and Layla killed Abigail." Alex confirmed, remembering the moment when she threw the knife at the fury that was attacking her.
"Well, first of all... Good for you, second. You know dam well by now that you need celestial bronze to kill a monster. It's not like they'd be dumb enough to leave that just laying around." Annabeth said. She had a point, Alex thought. Furies are dumb but not that dumb, they wouldn't have left celestial bronze knifes there for no reason. It would have had to be out there by something or someone.
"Okay... Enough about me, what about you?!" Alex said, she was about to take a drink when she caught her self. Ananbeth opened her mouth to talk but Alex stopped her.
"Wait, let me guess. You ran away from home when you were seven because your step mom thought you were a monster and you find two kids around 14 and 15..." Alex paused and presented to think. "Luke and Thalia. They accepted you and you three survived along side each other for a few months and then a saytr found you and tried to bring you to Camp Half Blood but the monster caught up with you guys and Thalia sacrificed herself so you, Luke and Grover could get to-" Alex ranted on, completely not thinking.
"Stop right there. How in hades name do you know all this?!" Annabeth said with panic and fear written all over her face. Alex smiled. She bent down and went to pull out a book out of her bag but stopped herself. What if this wasn't right? What if the books should be kept a secret from her and the rest of Camp Half Blood? No, Annabeth was her sister. Her twin sister.
"Alex? Y'okay?" Ananbeth asked her sister.
"Yea, fine... Here it is!" Alex said pulling out the book in her bag. She handed it to Annabeth. Annabeth put down her drink and stared at the book.
"I told you Layla and I read a lot."
"What... How...? What is this?" Annabeth said putting her finger on the little drawing of Percy and staring now at Alex. Alex smiled.
"Go ahead and read it, you'll get a laugh out of it. But, you can't tell anyone else. Layla and Chiron know but no one else can. Okay?" Alex said in all seriousness. Annabeth looked at her in slight confusion.
"Even Percy?" Ananbeth asked after a few seconds.
"Layla an I agreed we'd both tell our siblings. So yes, you can talk about it with Percy but no one else. And I mean no one." Alex said, hoping her sister would agree. Annabeth looked down at the book on the table in front of her. It was written in Ancient Greek so Annabeth could read it. Chiron was to thank for that. Alex had no idea how he did it but he said not to ask.
"Alright then. I promise I won't tell anyone about it. Don't make me swear it though." Annabeth said looking back up at Alex. Alex smiled.
"Deal."
Alex didn't have to say anymore. Annabeth opened the right up and started reading. Alex watched as her sister laughed at only the names of the chapters.
"I'm guessing it's in Percy's pint of view?" Annabeth pointing to the name of chapter one, "I accidentally vaporize my pre-algebra teacher"
"Mmhm." Alex said nodding. Annabeth smiled and went back to reading.
Before they even knew it, three hours had passed. Ananbeth was at "We take advice from a poodle" She was just then at:
"Percy. I said hello to the poodle. Now you say hello to the poodle."
Alex smiled when Annabeth . Read that part a loud.
"Wow... I'm Annabeth." Alex said trying to calm her sister down from her laugh attack.
"It's three o'clock." Annabeth snapped right out her attack.
"Already?!" She said surprised. Alex nodded.
"Well what a re you waiting for?! Let's get going before they think we're dead!"