PJO/HoO/HP Future: Kids

An Explanation

Charlie

I struggled to hold Zoë back from tearing the kid to pieces with her bare hands, receiving multiple gouges in the process. Her nails had turned into claws. Once the kid had gotten a safe distance away I let her go and started examining the damage done as she lean against my chest, exhausted after letting out all that rage. Soon she started looking over my wounds as well.

"I swear to the gods if he-"

I gently kissed her to stop her from giving herself anymore violent ideas.

"Hey!" Luke yelled at us causing us to break apart. "Get a room!"

Zo smiled devilishly at her twin.

"Oh, are you sure about that?" She asked in an innocent voice as she put an arm around my neck and moved closer to me, almost sitting on my lap.

Luke let his head fall onto the table as he groaned.

"Zoë, mum and dad are right there."

"So? They had us when they were only about a year older than us. If they told me not to it'd be hypocritical."

"Zoë, why do you have to be so difficult?"

Zo stood quickly, glaring at her brother.

"Why do you have to be such a stick in the mud?" She retorted and stormed away.

I sighed.

"I'll go get her."

Luke sighed.

"Thanks Charlie. I just don't understand why she has to be so rebellious."

I shrugged and raced after her.

James

I watched as Charlie left the hall and turned to Luke who sat there with his head in his hands.

"Luke? If you don't mind me asking...why is Zoë so violent when it comes to family and so determined to be strong and...well..." I trailed off awkwardly.

Luke laughed.

"Bratty?"

I nodded.

"I mean I know that I can be a bit self-absorbed at times-" Luke raised an eyebrow at me. "Okay, a lot of the time, but she acts as if she has to be stronger than everyone else or we'll all die!"

Luke sighed and looked down at the table.

"That's because it's what she believes. She used to be different. She used to read all the time, occasionally do gymnastics, don't get me wrong, ever since we were born she was the one that more valued athletics but she used to wake me up at exactly seven in the morning everyday. Once Ethan was born she'd always drag me into his room and force me to sit next to her and we would watch over him as he slept. Of course when Castor came along she was even more excited. She had two little brothers, three if you count the fact that I was born a minute and a half after her! We were eight."

"What happened?"

"Well, our parents were visiting Auntie Piper and Uncle Jason so we were in charge. Everything was going perfectly fine when there was a noise upstairs."

*FLASHBACK*

3RD POV

Zoë glanced at her brothers just as another sound came from the back of the house. She stood with her sharp wooden sword, thinking for a moment. She motioned for Luke to check the back of the house while she went upstairs. A three year old Ethan sat nervously on the floor with his two year old brother and kept his dagger in his hand.

Zoë found the window of her parents' room broken and turned to look for the monster that had done it only to be knocked out cold.

Luke saw the back door broken in and was about to turn to find what'd done it when he heard something move behind him. He was confident that any of his siblings were smart enough to either duck or block in time so he slashed his sword in a wide arch around himself. Sure enough, a moment later an empousa was reduced to dust.

"Ah ah ah!"

Luke looked to the doorway to see his sister hanging unconscious in the arms of another empousa, a large gash on her forehead.

"If you're smart, you won't move until I've gone and you won't come after me."

She dropped Zoë not so gently to the floor and Luke went to help his twin but the flaming monster gave him a look that assured him that if he did that, it would count as moving.

He watched worriedly as blood seeped out of Zoë's head wound and she got paler.

When Luke finally heard the front door open and slam shut again, he rushed to his sister's side.

She became conscious again and sat up groggily. She then panicked and ran into the other room.

"NO!!!"

Where Ethan and Castor had been before, lay Ethan's dagger.

When Luke ran into the room, tears were streaming down Zoë's face and she kept running her fingers through her hair in a flustered manner as she paced back and forth trying to think of a plan to get her brothers back.

"Zoë, the monster said not to follow. We should wait for mom and dad to get home and let them handle this."

"No. I was in charge, I'll go save them. Besides, she won't know that we're following. If what you say is true then she won't expect us."

Luke looked at her, unsure.

"What if that's what she wants us to think?"

Zoë thought for a moment.

"You're right. We'd need to take time to think up a plan and by that point, mum and dad would be back already. We may as well wait."

*END OF FLASHBACK*

"Our parents found the monster and killed it but not before we lost Castor. They never blamed us but Zoë blamed herself. All our family and friends comforted us and each other but Zoë pulled away.

She locked herself in the training room for days. When she came out, only dad could match her skill level. She trained herself to make plans instantaneously and sense any form of movement around her. She was never the same."