Redemption

Elena

   I kept driving until I made it to the more suburban area of  New York. I went through a few twists and turns until I pulled up in my driveway. I locked my car and went to the front door. I opened the door and heard a ruckus inside.

"Elena? Is that you?"

"Yeah, mom. It's me." I said.

"Come the kitchen. I need you to take Elijah while I finish cooking." I walked into the kitchen and saw my mom.

   My mom and I were very similar. Same pale skin, same dark hair. The only difference was our eyes. Her eyes were a light brown and full of life. Mine were reddish brown and filled with sorrow. I guess that's the price to pay when you're a child of Hades.

"Hand him over." I said.

My little brother, Elijah, looked nothing like me or my mom. He was adopted. He had dark skin with bright green eyes. He was only two.

"Where's Michelle? I asked.

"She's at work still. She had a few more things to do so she'll be late."

"Okay."

"How was work?"

"Interesting." I said while trying to entertain Elijah.

"Spill."

"I saw Percy Jackson."

"You're friend from camp? He's the son of..."

"Poseidon. Yeah, a lot happened in a year." I filled my mom in on everything.

"Oh god, not Annabeth. She was so sweet." Just as I was about to break her heart, the door opened.

"I'm home!" My mom set her spatula down and walked to the front of the house.

"Hi honey. How was your day?"

"Oh, same old, same old. Is everyone home?" Michelle said.

"Yep, and dinner is almost ready. Elena, set Elijah in his high chair and get everyone else down here, please." My mom said.

"Okay mom."

   Michelle is my step mom. Crazy, right. My mom has a kid with Hades and then marries a woman. They both really wanted more kids. Adopting was a great thing for them. It brought them normal kids so that they could forget about the one who kid who summons the dead.

"Thomas, Grace, Mikey, Peggy, dinners ready." I shouted from the bottom stair.

"Elena, I said get them, not yell for them." My mom said.

   My siblings came down the stairs. I was the oldest, being seventeen. Grace was 15, Thomas 13, Mikey 10, and Peggy 8. They all knew what I was. They treated me differently, and I could tell I scared them. Peggy would never willingly go near me after Thomas told her I raise armies of dead people. We all sat at the table and conversed like a normal family. I didn't talk or eat.

"Elena, why aren't you eating?" Michelle asked me.

"I already had dinner with a friend after work."

"You have friends?" Thomas asked.

"Yes. He's a son of Poseidon."

"Way cooler than Hades." I heard Grace mumble under her breathe.

"Um, mom, I didn't get to tell you this earlier, but...I'm going back to camp."

"Really? I think that'll be good for you. Being around your friends will help. After what happened with Colin..."

"That's not why I'm going."

"Oh, is it for Annabeth? Are they having a funeral or..."

"I'm going to the Underworld." I quickly said. My mom looked at me and said nothing.

"Why?" She asked.

"Annabeth. Percy and I, we're gonna bring her back."

"You always go back there, Elena! Always! You like Hades better than me, don't you?"

"Of course not! Mom, he's a god. He doesn't care about me as much as you do."

"You said you were done with that part of you."

"As much as I'd love to be Elena Montgomery-Pierce, average high schooler, I'm not. Monsters still come after me. My brother still keeps in contact with me."

"He's not your real brother." Michelle said.

"I'm more related to him than everyone at this table, except mom. You guys treat me like a freak. I hear all the remarks Grace makes under her breathe, and Thomas you're open with how much you don't like me. The only one here who likes me is Elijah, and he's two." I got up and walked up the stairs to my room. I locked the door.

I began to pack up everything. I had finally said it. After all the years I spent wishing I was normal like them, I told them how I felt. When We got back from the Underworld, I was staying at camp. I grabbed my suitcase from my closet and began folding clothes. I fit everything in the suitcase and three duffel bags. I dumped everything from my school backpack and loaded it up with all my old camp supplies.

I heard banging on the door every couple minutes. Soon the minutes turned to hours until they were gone. I had fallen asleep with my alarm set for seven thirty. Michelle would have already left for work and mom was taking everyone to school. I took two of my duffel bags down stairs first. I went back up and grabbed the rest. I loaded everything in the back of my car and locked the house. I drove to the diner.

"Hey Elena. Back so soon?" Mary said as I walked in.

"Yeah. Got a busy day today, thought I'd fill up on the best pancakes in the world."

"Shouldn't you be at school?" She asked as she led me to my booth.

"I'm not going. My living arrangements are changing. I'm going back to camp."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. It's time for me to face my fears."

"Are you going to tell them about Colin?"

"Yes. I need to."

"They won't hate you, Elena. They'll understand. Now, you want pancakes or eggs and bacon?" She asked.

"Today is a pancake day." I smiled as Mary walked away.

   I looked around the diner. It's atmosphere was so home like to her. I loved the white walls that were covered in pictures. The blue booths along the walls that complimented the tables with blue chairs. I loved everything about it.

   A bit later Mary brought my pancakes out. I thanked her and ate silently. I had no clue how we were going to successfully retrieve Annabeth. I was afraid that this was just a wild goose chase. I didn't want to have traveled across country just to disappoint Percy. I'd have to figure out a way to get her back, and fast.