This is a prequel to my story- The Second Trojan War- some of the characters there will be here, but not as the main protagonists. Drypetis, Mizuki and Eleana were in The Second Trojan War series, but they were minor characters, or simply mentioned. But that story- the first, and its sequels, was a crossover between the Avengers and Percy Jackson- and a whole bunch of canons.

WARNING- IF YOU DON'T LIKE THIS, THEN BY ALL MEANS, DON'T READ IT! THERE IS NO NEED TO PUT FLAMES- I WOULDN'T DO THAT TO YOUR STORIES, DON'T DO THAT TO MINE- I WELCOME CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, NOT CYBER-BULLYING.

Chapter One

Introductions, Reports and Discoveries.

"We tracked them as best we could, but were unable to make it further. The trail leads to and ends at Forks, Washington. You three have been chosen because you are among the best at camp, and many of the others are busy preparing for the worst. If the worst comes to pass and you find that the missing demigods are a lost cause and that the danger lies in Forks, contact us immediately. Do NOT engage. Report to us daily, on arrival and at three pm. Those are your orders."

So, here she was. In the wettest, dampest, reportedly the most miserable corner of the United States, Washington. Not D.C- Forks- like the eating utensil.

No, she was actually here, in a real town with real people, rain pouring down on them like the torrent.

She should have known the minute she signed up for this quest. After all, Mizuki and Eleana both testified that their father thoroughly disliked this place. Zeus seemed to take his temper out on it more than he normally would for the other states.

So why go here?

Well, it wasn't for a vacation.

Drypetis was there for a quest- to track down missing demigods and bring them back to safety if possible, or avenge them if necessary. And she certainly didn't like this place- no offence intended for anyone who lived there, but though she was born in Scandinavia- in Sweden- didn't mean she liked it. She didn't mind the cold, but too wet and too damp made her miserable. Besides, she had Iranian heritage. What was she supposed to do? And as a child of fire, she was not fond of wet and damp.

Sulky and miserable, Drypetis cast her eyes to her much better-looking companions- Mizuki and Eleana, the daughters of Apollo the sun god- though you wouldn't have known it based on Mizuki alone. The two girls didn't even seem like they were related, though they were inhumanly, surrealistically beautiful, they didn't even seem related. Mizuki herself resembled an Asian version of her aunt Artemis, rather than Apollo. In attitude and temperament as well as looks. She was cold, whereas Eleana was sunny. Silver to Eleana's gold, the yin in comparison to many of her siblings' yang.

Mizuki's dark midnight eyes, shot with streaks of silver were stormy. Scowling terribly, she hated the place even more than Drypetis did.

But she never complained. Not once did she complain.

In fact, Drypetis doubted Mizuki ever complained about anything a day in her life- not as a Shinto Priestess- a Mika, that was what she called it- not as a camp medic- not as a fricking ninja- not as a martial arts and archery expert, and not as a fortune teller. Drypetis for all her skills and talents, appeared to be outshone by nearly everyone, including Mizuki.

"We're here," Mizuki nodded curtly to the motel in front of them.

"Do you have all have your fake IDs?"

Eleana and Drypetis simultaneously nodded, holding them up. They were older than they appeared.

"And we can still use the Mist," Eleana reminded her sister.

Mizuki didn't bother to answer, narrowing her eyes towards the motel. She walked forwards, the two others trailing after her.

The motel wasn't much. But it was surprisingly- and amazingly warm and comfortable- with plush rugs, overstuffed sofa and armchair, wooden tables and a fire burning in the beehive fireplace.

Drypetis sighed in relief.

"Good evening," Mizuki announced formally, poise never leaving her as she took in the receptionist. "I believe we booked a room for three, under the names of Michiko Tatsumi, Ellen Robbie, and Soraya Farshid?" She asked.

The lady did a double-take, and the air around Mizuki grew colder. She had that effect if she wanted to.

The lady swallowed and hastily ran down the list of names.

"Ah, yes, this way, then," she said.

When she showed them their rooms, the other two girls nearly collapsed in relief. But it wasn't over yet.

Mizuki nodded, and they did the routine they were trained for.

How different it was- in previous years, demigods were randomly sent at quests, and crashed informally to where they could. Now they were better trained, more militarised. It must have helped, Drypetis thought, that some of their greatest heroes- including, to the surprise of his nearest and dearest- Percy Jackson saviour of Olympus. They aimed to train demigods more, to survive, using all the techniques Special Operations Forces around the world learned. What's more, it was very useful having a princess- an actual real-life princess there with them. She'd funded and planned- alongside Annabeth Chase, the architect of Olympus, a new city for Greek demigods and their descendants to live in. New Athens.

The city was growing by the day. And there were a few demigods who did survive in the outside world, but wanted a home there- temporary or permanent.

Mizuki took a deep breath- silently, and handed a case made out of Imperial Gold- to Eleana, and another to Drypetis. She took out another object made out of Celestial Bronze. This was a scanner- it picked up any kind of activity- supernatural or otherwise. Including electronic activity that was not supposed to be there. Drypetis should know. Her siblings made them.

Mizuki ran them discreetly, but thoroughly over the whole area, her footsteps light as only one who had been trained as an assassin and a professional- well, whatever ninjas train their apprentices to do in order to become professionals. Drypetis didn't know. Everywhere from the drapes, the bed sheets, table and desk, chairs, closet, lamps and their shades, ceiling, lightbulbs, the bathroom with its toilet, sink, cabinet, shower-bath and curtains, even the drains and the mirror.

Meanwhile Eleana busied herself setting up wards. These were made by the Hecate Cabin. She placed a waxy substance on the doors of their suite, each wall, the ceiling, and windows. After which she opened a Celestial Bronze case and took out miniature statuettes of the goddess Hecate. Murmuring the prayer or hymn the Hecate Cabin taught her, Eleana placed the statuettes on the wax. The hollow statuettes contained paper written with powerful spells, and magical herbs and other substances- little bits and pieces, and a drop of magic potion inside to cast and strengthen wards.

But that could never be enough. And so Drypetis was the one who opened their magical suitcases and took out the little traps that she and her siblings had made. Mechanical ones. Little automatons who would recognise her and any of her friends from camp and New Athens. Discreetly, she placed them in entrances, anywhere anyone who was not the size of an ant- or even then- would be able to crawl, climb, jump, leap or otherwise, find all sorts of different ways to come in. She activated them, twisting the knobs, biting her lip as she did so. Their eyes glowed green.

Now this one took a lot of work, Drypetis thought as she pulled out another automaton. And three more. This would detect any hostile act- no matter how covert and secretive- and would shoot blasts at the person- unless they were someone from Camp, then again. If they had to invite someone, like room service, it was always good to have a first line of defence, and more things continuously scanning any activity- electronic or magical. They could be bugged by suspicious mortals.

Yup, that was why they were chosen for this task.

Because they had to be the best… Or they were dead.

Honestly, this was beginning to be more like MI6, or the Special Forces rather than teenage kids.

But they survived more.

"All clear and safe," Drypetis said after a while.

"Good." Mizuki replied.

"Iris Message," she warned.

Drypetis took out another device- a beautiful miniature crystal fountain, set on a mirror and surrounded by mirrors of crystal, and Eleana poured water onto the fountain's opening. Soon enough, it began to spray, soon, a beautiful rainbow

Mizuki took out a drachma and placed it inside the slot.

"O, Iris goddess of the Rainbow, show me Camp Half-Blood's leaders." Mizuki didn't know who exactly she was supposed to contact.

The rainbow shimmered a glittery golden and soon produced an image.

It was Percy Jackson… And someone else.

Wait- that was Alex, Alex McDermott, son of Zeus, and claimed- like the three girls- after the Second Titan and Giant Wars.

Drypetis relaxed. The guy was an Irish national who spent some time in the military before coming to Camp, and getting claimed. He never failed to intimidate her, but at times he could be warm, and he was very loyal, almost as loyal as Percy. He wasn't the fancy, glamorous kind of hero that the sons of Zeus usually were, but he was cut in a different style. Still, at least it wasn't Nico Di Angelo- Mizuki made no attempt to hide her hostility with her brother's on-off-boyfriend who was reportedly encouraging and influenced further, Will Solace's flirtations towards boys and girls.

"Percy," Eleana called out. "Alex!"

The two of them turned.

"Mizuki, Eleana, Drypetis," Percy sounded mostly calm, but slightly relieved. "You've arrived safely, right?"

"Yes," Mizuki said formally. "We ran into no trouble- unless you count the pouring rain and the winds."

Alex rolled his eyes. "My apologies. My godly father seems to take his temper out on that particular state- and town- most of the time."

"Apology accepted," Mizuki said, displaying some rare humour. Mizuki was less likely to laugh than Alex and Nico.

"Nothing showed up on the scanners," Drypetis said, eager to put a word in. "But still… There's something going on. There are traces of the supernatural here."

"Well, in that case," Percy sighed. "Be very careful. Remember- three pm."

"Already remembered," Mizuki said, rolling her eyes slightly. Percy's lips twitched.

"How is the research and the other investigating teams?"

"Running into more dead ends than Daedalus' maze," Percy muttered.

"The progress is slow," Alex said steadily. "But there is a chance we can find something- if you are onto it. Be careful. Keep your eyes- and the rest of your senses peeled. And what's more- don't let your guard down- even for a second. If you are facing an emergency or serious danger with the odds against your favour- drop whatever you are doing- it's more important to keep yourselves alive and the information that you have- back to camp."

"He's right," Percy said. "We have reinforcements and a pickup team on alert. Don't get carried away- even if you are close. It's more important to keep as much people alive as we can."

Mizuki nodded. "Understood."

"So do not engage," Alex warned them.

And Drypetis was reminded of what Percy's half-sister- Aglaia- had said to the three of them just before they left.

"You don't know what's up there," Aglaia warned. "They may have their own legends, their own myths and monsters. I would go with you in less than a heartbeat, but in case you were wondering, I'm too inconspicuous, at least that's what Chiron says," she gave a dry smile. "Not even the Mist can cover me up. But you're very proficient- all three of you are skilled in different ways. I trust you, but remember- please, at the first sign of danger- come back. I don't care, just do whatever it takes to get back. Or I will go after you. We need to find where and what happened to these missing kids and if they're still alive. If not, then call for reinforcements, and we'll punish those who did this."

Rescue… Or avenge them. Drypetis studied the two great heroes in front of her.

Both were handsome- Percy looked like every woman's dream, tall, lean and muscular, barely concealed by his camp T-shirt and khaki trousers. His wind-blown raven black hair tousled perfectly and was glossy. His features looked like they had been carved and chiselled better and handsomer than even classical statues of the gods, high cheekbones, a sculptured Greek profile and fine, chiselled lips. His eyes were a brilliant, glowing green and he had a slight Mediterranean tan.

The camps' hero, Drypetis thought. Percy looked like it, but didn't act like it.

Alex was unspeakably handsome too, but in a way that reminded her of statues of the gods beheld by worshippers- you just don't get too near. He radiated a sort of power that both awed and scared everyone. His hair was beaten gold and his eyes were deeper than his half-brother Jason's a sapphire blue. He had a grim look to him- like his father. His skin was fair and his face chiselled and sculptured to perfection. But still, he wasn't someone to be cosy and all with.

"Alright, we'll leave you to it," Percy said reluctantly. "Annabeth said that she enrolled you guys for one day at the local High School. Don't be late. Oh, gods, I'm sounding like my mom. Never want to do that again. Keep your eyes peeled and remember- use the Mist."

"I understand," Mizuki said, even though she had been through this a hundred times over.

"Good. Good bye," Alex said.

And they cut the connection.

Mizuki sighed as Eleana put the device in its case. "Time for dinner and bed. Shall we order room service?"

"As long as we close the suitcases," Eleana shrugged.

A hot meal sounded good.

This was only her third quest, but it was possibly the most dangerous she had ever undertaken.

They had to survive and succeed. Or gods help them all.

The next morning wasn't all rain. But it was still awful. Dark, grey and damp. Everything seemed grey, dark and damp, except for the green of the trees and vegetation. Eleana was better, but she didn't like the look of the outside world right then.

"So… High school?" Eleana said. "Oh, yes. Well, from what I've learnt, the Native American Quileute tribe live here on a reservation as well. We'll also have to check it out. Once the police, the school and the reservation have been cleared up, it's the shops, the forests, whatever. The most dangerous bits."

Drypetis looked at her incredulously. "What, you don't think that it'll be dangerous in the school?"

"There aren't any demigods here, unless you count the missing one and we have yet to recover their trail." Mizuki reminded. "They wouldn't have been here for school- there wouldn't have been much time. But if there are any monsters, since it's been a while, they may not be expecting any demigods there. We'll go in for a day, blend in and talk to the teachers and students, hand the enchanted documents to the teachers and principle and once our investigation there is done, that's it, we manipulate the Mist and then we're off. There's little chance of encountering a monster right now, unless we don't hurry. We have to do the school first- that's the first place they'll look."

The other two nodded. Mizuki opened her suitcase and took out an amazing array of Japanese weapons- except that these were made in Greek Celestial Bronze mined from Mount Olympus. Drypetis had made a number of them personally along with Leo. Thin, fluted armour for under clothing, a traditional katana, the long single-edged Japanese Samurai sword, and the one-handed, shorter Wakizashi along with Ninjen and Tachi. A Recurve bow that drove the other Apollo campers to frustration as the Japanese bow was totally different from their longbows. And ninja weapons as well as Samurai. Shurikens or throwing stars of all kinds, a kaiken dagger, a Kubotan with throwing spikes inside, throwing knives, spikes of all kinds and much more. It drove many people dizzy and the Ares and Enyo campers jealous. And most of all her tantō and some rope.

That disturbed many people. It frightened them that Mizuki was so ready to commit suicide if need be, and the tradition had long since been banned in Japan, but she pointed out, better that than a slow death by torture when captured. She always carried her tantō and some rope with her, in case she needed to commit jigai, the feminine form of Sepukku or Hara kiri. She followed the old ways faithfully.

Mizuki had been born into quite a family. It was revealed later that her mother and her whole family knew that her father Apollo was in fact, a Greek god- a reason why they didn't kick her out of the family and ostracize her from their community, unlike Drypetis' mother. Their clan was ancient, dating back to the so-called golden age of the Samurai. One branch of them had been samurai and the other half ninja. Mizuki was one of the few girls who were trained, and the only one who was both trained like a samurai and a ninja, except that she never got to use those skills in the mortal world- that was illegal. But they knew, as a demigoddess, that it would help her immensely.

Drypetis sometimes envied Mizuki. How could she not? Raised amidst a strong family unit and her own native homeland… Drypetis had been born in Sweden (though conceived in New York) and she would often be homesick for it. She would also be homesick for camp. But she had never known Iran, and she wondered if her mother was homesick for Iran, and if she had any regrets about standing up to the authorities and being forced to leave. And conceiving a child with someone who disappeared, whom she wasn't married to, thus being shunned by many members of her own community in Sweden. She had never complained. Not even once. She later married a native Swede who legally adopted Drypetis.

Drypetis shook her head. Time for school.

Just for one day.

"Does it have to be High School?" Drypetis asked, struggling not to go in that direction again. Or to fiddle her hands which didn't have anything to tinker on. She had the problem. She always needed to tinker or build something or else it would seem she would fidget. She had a mild case of ADHD, and to a small extent, Dyslexia. And Drypetis didn't like the sound of High School.

They both ignored her.

"Scent," Mizuki reminded them. She took a spray bottle, like a can of deodorant, and sprayed it all over herself. She passed the can to Eleana and then Drypetis. It was to disguise their demigod scent and repel as many monsters as possible. Smart Aphrodite kids.

"You know there's a Native American population here," Drypetis said, squinting to try and read the brochure with dyslexia.

She silently cursed the fact that she didn't have time to install her laptop. It wasn't ordinary. Usually using cell phones and computers would have attracted monsters more quickly than a flare. However Drypetis and Leo's determination had compelled them to make technology that would repel monsters- just as Leo created the miracle Argo II, she knew it was possible.

"The Quileute tribe." Mizuki said, taking the brochure from her. "They have their own reservation- La Push. And they have their own schools. We'll have to check them out later. Pretend to be tourists."

"What if they have their own ways of tracking us?" Eleana said hesitantly.

Mizuki rolled her eyes. "Just because they are Native American, does not mean they can sniff us out like wolves or bloodhounds. We have our own ways of disguising our scent. We just need to keep applying this-" She shook the bottle- "-on."

Eleana flushed. "I knew that!"

"Let's just go," Drypetis broke in, before the sisters could cause a fight.

"It looks like Fork's High School is on the South Spartan Avenue-" the three girls looked momentarily amused at the name- "and it has students from Grades 9 to 12."

Eleana frowned. "This is a small town. They'll know we're the new kids, even with the Mist, we can't really disguise the fact and we don't have much time."

"We'll be there, for one day." Mizuki sighed. "Then they won't even remember we ever went to the school."

"Ookaay," Eleana mused. "So…"

"Look," Drypetis said impatiently. "I get it. You're nervous. So am I. We're not Percy Jackson- and we don't know what's waiting for us at the end of the trail. But we've gotta try. These kids are depending on us to bring them home, safe. We need to go, or we won't achieve anything."

Eleana sighed. "Okay."

"Great." Mizuki said coolly. "So it's all settled then?"

"Take your concealable weapons," Drypetis advised her. "Just remember which is stationary and jewellery and which are weapons. Keep spraying the mist. And the monster-repellent. It's not infallible, but…" She shrugged. "It also works."

The two of them nodded and took her advice. Bows were enchanted- disguised as hairclips. Swords as stationary. Their pencil cases had a hidden compartment for these things. They just had to make sure they weren't lost.

"Excellent," Drypetis proclaimed. "Now can we eat? And remind me to install my laptop when we get back. I was so tired!"

Renesmee Carlie Cullen, sat on the grass, basking in the slight warmth of the sun.

Her dad had warned her when it came to certain people. He was very protective, Nessie admitted to herself. Almost too protective. He was a mind-reader, so at least he knew who were genuine and wanted to be friends, who would make good friends, and those that only wanted to be close to her because she was breathtakingly beautiful, or needed her to do their homework for them, et cetera.

And besides, the tiniest hint that something wasn't right, and Jacob would speed either on his motorbike, or in his wolf form, right to where they were.

She lay back and sighed. She needed to get away. Just for a moment. But right then, three new visitors arrived.

They were three girls- and it didn't look like they were from around- and their looks- which caught her attention.

There were three girls. At first Renesmee couldn't help but have her eyes glued to the first two breath-taking girls before she focused on the third.

Nessie straightened and looked them over with eager scrutiny.

The first girl's face was oval underneath a silky-smooth, glossy, luminous mane of black hair that went from wavy at the top into loose curls at the bottom, falling into her back, lit with blue when the light hit it. Her complexion was pale- not just pale actually, but white, yet not Vampire pale- it looked healthy for humans. Though this girl was so breathtakingly, heartbreakingly beautiful she looked most like a goddess- it put vampires to shame. She was undeniably Asian, though she looked like she had a touch of Caucasian blood. Her dark almond eyes were absolutely haunting- they were darkest blue-black, yet they seemed silvery when the light touched them. Though she was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beings Nessie ever saw- but she wasn't the type for guys to snuggle up to in a toasty-warm room in front of a fire.

Like the snow queen in Hans Christian Andersen's tales. Or an ice goddess.

The second girl was her polar opposite. She had wavy golden hair that seemed to glitter and shimmer when the sun hit it or any kind of light- spun gold touched with a hint of copper streaks at the side- not artificial highlights but natural. Her eyes were so blue that Nessie couldn't help but be impressed at the colour and brightness. Her perfectly bow-shaped lips were reddish-pink and luscious. She was pale too, but definitely Caucasian, and there was a golden-brownish layer it seemed over the whiteness. She was slim, like the first girl, roughly the same height.

But the third girl… Nessie looked puzzled. She looked slightly Middle-Eastern.

The sun and moon, Renesmee thought for some reason. She was utterly captivated. Being surrounded by vampires she was no stranger to beauty. But even so, these girls… She couldn't tear her eyes off of them, and neither could the other students. Even the teachers were staring.

The third girl was shorter. She had a mocha complexion, and a narrow-looking elfin face, with brown hair- hinted with red, and suspicious-looking coffee-coloured eyes. She was pretty, but nowhere near as beautiful as the other two. Yet… There was something about the girl.

The girl looked at the school sign that said, 'FORKS HIGH SCHOOL HOME OF THE SPARTANS' with the side-portrait of a Greek warrior wearing a bronze helmet with a horsehair plume. She immediately gave a snort which no one else, save Nessie heard upon reading the sign. "Ironic," Nessie heard her mutter, and "If they only knew." Like that was some kind of inside joke

Nessie frowned. Why would she think that?

Just then they passed her. The first two girls appeared to be engrossed in a deep discussion but the third stopped. Nessie could see her wiry shoulders tensing, her back straightening and tensing as well. She froze, then turned slowly around, making eye contact with Renesmee.

Nessie felt her breath hitch in her throat again- she must have done it when she saw the first two girls- when the third girl looked right at her.

They froze. The girl's eyes were wide, but her face was only slightly bewildered and alarmed before she turned away, looking momentarily stunned, like she didn't know whether to panic. Nessie's eyes were wide.

Ice flooded her. She knows, Nessie thought.

But it can't be, can it? This girl was human. She can't have known about vampires?

Could she?

That was when Nessie suddenly remembered she didn't get a clear whiff of any of the three newcomers. She didn't know whether they were human… Or something else entirely. It didn't look like they were vampires. She knew when vampires were posing as humans. But she didn't see their contact lenses. There was no carefully masked- to humans at least- gold or crimson hidden beneath a thin filmy layer.

For once, she wished she had her father's ability.

Something was up.

Drypetis had frozen when she saw the beautiful girl- more beautiful than anyone she had ever seen- except for Aglaia, Piper and a few other demigoddesses and Olympian goddesses.

She remembered the girl's chocolate-coloured eyes making contact with hers. She remembered walking before realising that something didn't feel right. She had turned around and seen this girl. She hardly remembered hearing or seeing monsters lounging around on the lawn in front of school buildings. Mostly they went in disguise. And they didn't like being so open, so exposed to daylight, and sunbeams. But there she was.

Her first thought was that she was an empousa. She hated those. Always did. Just waiting to prey. Yet the girl seemed genuinely curious and surprised.

Yet…

Drypetis made up her mind to tell Mizuki and Eleana.

"Did you see the girl?" She muttered under her breath.

Mizuki rolled her eyes. "Which girl?"

"The one that looked like an empousa- until one of those reveals to be half donkey-legged and half bronze with fangs and fiery hair."

They froze and stared at her.

"Is she one?" Mizuki asked, frozen.

Drypetis shrugged. "I don't think so, yet…" She frowned. "There's something not quite human about this girl."

Mizuki and Eleana flashed half-worried, half-panicked looks.

"Look, it might not be something now." Eleana whispered. "We can't assume and attack- what if they attack us? We don't know how many there are in this place if that girl you saw wasn't human."

Drypetis heaved out a sigh. "You're right."

For now the principal's office was their destination.

The day went by.

Drypetis rarely saw that beautiful girl again. They convinced the staff- and students- that they were three new students recently transferred from a sister school.

Handing in their 'documents' manipulating the Mist in fail-safe ways- the Hecate Cabin really helped- and soon the students were on their way. They were guided to temporary lockers and given timetables and a map. Thankfully they would have all their classes together.

But it didn't mean Drypetis liked them.

First class: English. And she had dyslexia and ADHD. She gritted her teeth and reminded herself it was for one day. Yes, she now spoke good English, but that was it- spoke. And Hamlet? Seriously, she wasn't like Annabeth or the Apollo Cabin. It grated at her. And why did these Danish- possibly Viking-era people constantly reference the Greek and Roman gods and titans? Didn't they have their own gods- like, 'Hyperion's curls'. Seriously?

And there was more. Next class was trigonometry, which she aced. A daughter of Hephaestus, she knew her math.

Morning Interval. Drypetis let out a deep breath. Mizuki decided they would go around the school, on the pretence of learning where to go if they wanted to go to this class, the bathroom, or have lunch. Much to Mizuki's extreme annoyance- Drypetis sensed that she was working herself to a rage- more than one boy offered to escort them. So much for being coldly beautiful. Maybe they were just fascinated and wanted the chance to look at her. Maybe they were attracted to Eleana too.

"Hi," One boy grinned. He looked like the school jock. A typical popular boy, ignorant as he was. "I'm Daniel."

"Hello, Daniel, I'm Eleana."

"Drypetis," Drypetis found herself saying. "Mizuki," said girl spoke grudgingly.

"Oh," Daniel beamed. "So… You're Japanese?" Mizuki nodded her head curtly. Drypetis feared she would lose it.

"And…" Daniel turned to Eleana. "British?" Eleana nodded. Daniel frowned thoughtfully and looked at Drypetis. "And you're…"

"Iranian-Swedish," she said bluntly, daring him to be stupid enough to call her a terrorist or something. Her eyes warned him.

"Oh," he said fake-brightly. Lucky for him. She wouldn't have stood for it, and neither would Mizuki.

"I'm sorry," he excused. "It's just… We don't see many exchange students in this school-" Knew it, Drypetis thought. "And most of them aren't from Japan, England or Iran." "I was born in Sweden," Drypetis said. "I have Swedish citizenship. "Oh." Daniel said. "You have Asians here though," she said boldly.

"Drypetis," Eleana admonished.

"Nah, you're right." Daniel said. "But they've been here for a very long time- generations actually. So which school did you transfer from?"

He was really getting on Mizuki and Drypetis' nerves. Mizuki snapped her fingers. "We told you." Eleana quickly said.

His eyes glazed over. "Oh, yeah. You did."

That was too close. But their 'tour' took them outside where Drypetis spotted the girl again. She froze. Like a deer in the headlights.

Mizuki and Eleana immediately sensed Drypetis' tension and glanced at her worriedly. Then they looked over to where she was looking at. Their eyes widened.

There was the girl. Her gorgeous silky curls, an unusual bronze colour, tumbled past her back straight to her waist, like honey and molten bronze. She was svelte and her skin was a creamy ivory colour, resembling lit alabaster. She had an oval face and carved features: full red lips, high cheekbones, slim, arched eyebrows and a small, straight nose. Her cheeks were flushed and glowing. Her eyes were brown.

Eleana cleared her throat. "Who's that?" She asked.

Daniel glanced at her. "That's Renesmee Cullen."

They stared at him. "Renes-what?" Drypetis looked bewildered.

"Ruh-Nez-May," Daniel said slowly, like to a baby. "Her name's like, a fusion between her grandmas, or something like that. She's the younger sister of Edward Cullen."

"Who?" They asked simultaneously.

"He's this guy who was here, for some time. He was adopted as a kid by Doctor and Mrs. Cullen. He wasn't the only one. There were like, four more kids, only that they were, ahem, going out with one another. I mean, they weren't like, related to one another- except for the Hales- but they lived together." He flushed. Drypetis and the girls looked taken aback. Wow, even in big cities like Stockholm, Tokyo and London this would have definitely generated some controversy. "Then Edward married the police chief's daughter, Bella Swan, when they were eighteen-" They gaped at him, Mizuki most especially. "Before they went to college together. We haven't seen the two since, but we saw the others- Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice- those were their names, and Doctor Cullen still works at the hospital." He shrugged.

"Oh," Eleana said. "Okay then. So she was adopted too?"

"Yeah, but she's Edward's biological sister- she was adopted by someone else, then her parents died, and they contacted Edward's parents who were more than happy to take her in."

"Poor girl," Eleana said. "I hope she's happy with them. I don't really like foster homes."

"Huh?" Daniel said.

"It's just… Not every one of them treats their kids right. But then again, some do and they actually legally adopt and they're happy together."

The two left off.

"Think she's a monster?" Drypetis muttered to Eleana.

Eleana frowned. "I don't think so… Still…" Her frown deepened. "I don't like this. We've gotta get this over with. If she suspects anything and she is one of them, then we could get killed. We have to find the kids, Drypetis, they're depending on us. That's what Percy and Aglaia said."

Drypetis frowned, looking troubled.

After Interval, they had music class. Drypetis, thankfully wasn't awful, but she was nowhere near the level of the two girls. The teacher gasped and cried, and so did the awed-looking students. After that was gym. She wasn't bad at all there, strong and tough from working in the forge. The two daughters of Apollo were astounding athletes and the coach was impressed.

Lunch. They saw Renesmee Cullen there again. Then it was Spanish- which Drypetis didn't find difficult- she had two Spanish-speaking siblings in her cabin, after all- Leo and Nyssa. After that, Biology. The two daughters of Apollo, unsurprisingly aced it. She hopefully passed okay.

But it was only for that day.

But the surprise came soon.

A boy, likely Quileute, appeared. He was tall, very buff and muscular with silky, attractive russet skin. His dark eyes glinted merrily.

Renesmee happily went over to him.

"Drypetis," Eleana whispered, sweating. "Do you think-"

"I don't know." She whispered. "At least we put on more deodorant during lunch break."

As if he heard them, the boy looked puzzled. Renesmee stiffened for a while, then kissed the guy on the cheek. So they did know one another.

Then Drypetis' eyes narrowed and she zeroed in on another arrival. In a Volvo, there was a boy. His messy bronze-coloured hair was the exact same shade as Renesmee's, except without the curls. He had the same features as her- cheekbones, nose- except slightly larger- and lips, though they were fuller, and eyebrows- though his were thicker and he had a strong jawline. But that wasn't what caught her attention. This boy was pale. Like vampire pale. As if he never saw the light of day… Which was absurd because he already did.

The boy stiffened, as if hearing her thoughts. "Come on," Mizuki said stiffly. "We're leaving. We have no business poking around here."

The three of them obeyed and turned around. But soon one of them paused.

Mizuki turned and her silvery-blue eyes, like moonbeams in midnight caught his gaze. Unlike his sister's the boy's was golden. Like Kronos, she thought.

There was something not quite right here. The boy froze and looked bewildered as soon as she thought this. But something told Mizuki to brush that thought aside and turn around. They gazed at each other for a moment. Then Mizuki thought that she would turn and leave. She did.

That thought didn't last. She spun around and caught the boy's eyes, simultaneously thinking something.

Are you a supernatural being? She wondered. He froze as if in shock, and Mizuki's eyes caught this.

He quickly schooled his features back to being stoic, but they both knew, no matter how fast, it was too late.

Are you reading my thoughts? She thought, suspiciously and coldly. The boy froze. His golden eyes widened.

She stood there, regal and unflinching, but cold as ever. Her eyes dangerously narrowed.

Then beware boy, she hissed in her head. If you meddle with my thoughts I will meddle with your so she turned around, not giving him any more view on her thoughts.

Edward stood there frozen.

"Dad?" Nessie whispered. To the whole world, including the new students, they believed that Nessie was Edward's biological sister. But in fact, she was his daughter.

"Edward?" Jacob frowned.

"She knows," Edward breathed out a hiss through his teeth. "That girl… She knows?"

"Which one?" Nessie asked bewildered. Then her mind flashed to those three girls.

"That's them." Her father said answering her question. "The Japanese one. She knows. I think she'll tell the other two. She doesn't know exactly what we are," he gave a small laugh. "Though the Iranian-Swedish girl thought I looked like a vampire. But she knew I was reading her thoughts."

Jacob's eyes widened. He pulled Nessie close. "Wait," he said. "Was this the girl who was speaking about deodorant?"

"That was the British- Australian girl," Edward said. "Or at least, that was what she was thinking."

"It was Eleana that asked that and Drypetis that replied." Nessie explained. Jacob's brow rose.

"Interesting names," he muttered. "Eleana is Greek, meaning Daughter of the Sun, Mizuki means Beautiful Moon in Japanese and Drypetis is a species of brown butterfly from India and Sri Lanka," Edward muttered. "It's also the name of a Persian princess, the sister-in-law of Alexander the Great and daughter of Darius III of Persia."

"Ookay," Jacob stated. "I'm not going to ask you how you knew all that, just… Let's go."

And they went off. "We need to call a meeting on neutral territory, if that's okay," Edward muttered. Jacob nodded.

"Why?" Nessie asked. "If they know, they should know better than to expose us, right? If they know what we are and what we can do, then there's a chance that they might be harbouring similar secrets."

"That's the problem, Nessie," Edward said gently as if to a baby. "We don't know what they'll do. We don't know anything. And they smell strange. I don't know what they are, they smell mortal at first, then I started smelling-"

"Sweat?" Nessie asked puzzled. "They were talking about deodorant."

"Sunlight." Edward murmured. "Sunlight and warm wood, leaves, things like that from the two girls. And from the third…" He narrowed his eyes.

"Fire," he whispered. "Oil. Metals."

Jacob looked bewildered. "I didn't smell anything." He pursed his lips. "Well, maybe I did," he admitted. "Just a little bit of grease and fire coming from their direction. And like something warmed by sunlight. But I thought I was imagining things and those girls smell pretty normal to me."

Edward stared at Jacob then shook his head.

"We need to tell the others," he muttered. "As soon as we can, before the meeting. We also need to keep a close watch on those girls, track down where they're currently staying at now."

"Whoa, Dad!" Nessie protested in an undertone. "You don't know these girls- you can't just-"

"That's precisely because of we don't know. We have to look into them. Look into their pasts. They could be dangerous, they could kill us or expose us."

Nessie's eyes widened. "How do you know that they're that powerful?"

"As I said," Edward replied. "I don't know. All I know is that they smell rather powerful. They smell human, but they… Don't. Darling, we don't know. They could expose us."

Jacob mumbled an affirmative.

Nessie bit her lip. Then she nodded.

"Shall we tell Mom now?" She asked. Her father nodded.

"I had a vision that you were in your way to tell us something important." Alice stated.

The Cullens were all currently gathered in the living room.

Bella narrowed her eyes. For years, ever since the Volturi left, they had known only peace. Now, there was something, she knew. Something going on with the way Edward's lips were pressed together- though not too firmly, the microscopic (for humans) crinkle in his brow. The set of his jaw and the tension of his shoulders and the uneasy stance he was standing in- unnoticeable for humans but clear to her.

"There have been… Three new girls in Renesmee's school," Edward exclaimed.

Bella drew in a deep breath, and moved around to grasp and hold Nessie close to her. It was tight, but Nessie didn't flinch or complain. This was what her mom did.

"Are they vampires?" She asked immediately. Edward shook his head.

"If they were it would make it a whole lot easier." He muttered. "The thing is, Jacob, Nessie and I- we don't know what they are?"

"What?" Esme gasped.

"The smell is bewildering the wolves. It's confusing me. I think they've found a way to mask their scent, whatever they are. But for a moment they smelled… Different."

Jasper leaned forwards. "Like what?"

"Sunshine," Nessie put in. "Or so Daddy claims. "Warm wood and sunshine- nature on a sunny day."

She gave a pointed look at her father.

"Those were for the first two girls- Mizuki and Eleana- the Japanese and British-Australian exchange students," Edward explained. "The Iranian-Swedish girl- she smelt like fire- hot fire and metals."

They looked at one another.

"They're all foreign?" Rosalie asked bewildered. "Since when do foreign exchange students come to obscure little towns like Forks, Washington and not to big cities like New York, Frisco and L.A?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking?" Emmett muttered.

Carlisle frowned. "Edward, I don't doubt or question you. But we need to be sure they are a threat before we attack them. That means, that only if they make a move to attack us, will we defend ourselves," he said firmly when Edward opened his mouth.

"You know I won't do anything like that," Edward said. "But we need to be prepared."

"And we will prepare," he said. "Just not for war."

Esme nodded her assent.

Nessie shook her head. "Isn't anybody just going to ask them face to face?" She asked. "I mean, if they suspect something but don't get the word out- I mean, how likely would it be if people actually believed someone when they said vampires existed?" She asked. "They'll think they're insane. So chances are they wouldn't just blurter it out. Why not ask them? After all, we can take care of ourselves.

Rosalie sighed. "She's got a point you know," she pointed.

Edward sighed. "Nessie. You know I'm just trying to keep you safe, darling. You go to the same school as them, you know. We need to know what we're up against." He explained. "We can't go up to them- not without the risk of exposing ourselves."

"You said that they already know!" Nessie pointed out.

"I said that they know what I can do," Edward said. "They don't know that I'm a vampire. Or that we're all vampires and werewolves living here."

Bella sighed, and pulled her daughter close, breathing into her hair, like she always did. "He's right, baby," she said to Nessie. "We can't risk the exposure. Too dangerous. It's even more dangerous now that you're still in school and the werewolves are close to you. I don't want anyone to harm the ones I love."

Nessie sighed.

"So we all know what to do," Edward said. "Just tail them. Go to the school and ask to see the papers for the foreign exchange students."

Nessie was silent.

"I'll go," she said. Bella jumped slightly and so did Edward. "Nessie-"

She shook her head. "You're no longer students at the school," she said. "I am. I can charm my way into asking about them- with you, it'll be too suspicious."

Edward shook his head. "What if they discover you? What if this gets around?"

"I'll just say I'm curious and I wanted to make new friends," Nessie exclaimed exasperated. "As I always do. People know me back there. I'm not averse to them."

Edward frowned deeply. "I still don't like it."

"But she's right," Alice pointed out. "You can't go- none of us can just go up there and ask for details on the new exchange students. They'll definitely get suspicious and we can't expect Charlie to make an excuse for us just because we're family. Nessie can go."

Bella trembled, and pulled her daughter closer, tightening her hold. "I don't like it."

"It's only for a short while," Rosalie assured her. "Until we clear things up."

But Edward didn't like the idea either.

Nessie went to Jacob who was in his wolf form and touched him to show exactly how the conversation went. The other wolves saw it too.

The next day when Nessie came home from school, she promptly told her family that after asking about the exchange students, the teachers looked confused and bewildered when she gave out their names and pressed further for information. The other students looked at her blankly like she'd hit her head or grown a third arm. They looked even more bewildered. Many times Nessie tried to catch someone off guard- a little slip-up mention of the three girls- including to Daniel who had been with them yesterday. But they all stared at her blankly, and confused, as if they didn't understand or if she had gone temporarily insane. There had never been exchange students, the teachers informed her. Not for this whole year. Not for a number of years.

The Cullens and the wolves jumped.

"WHAT?" Edward bellowed.

"What do you mean?" He growled. It was due to the efforts of Bella and Esme that he didn't march up to the school, demanding for answers. He simply waited around the carpark, listening to their thoughts.

And no trace or memory of the three foreign exchange students.

Not one tiny bit, when Nessie mentioned them again to the others. And they certainly weren't inconspicuous.

They had just had all their memories wiped from the face of the earth. Anyone who saw them that was human.

The motel room…

The three girls were busy reporting. One of those on the other end was Percy Jackson. But there were Nico Di Angelo (whom Mizuki had ignored largely for the whole time they were communicating- at least she didn't start an argument), Alex McDermott, and Aglaia- Percy's new sister.

"WHAT?" Aglaia breathed. She was even more beautiful than the Cullen girl, Drypetis thought. Her eyes were the most luminous, clearest, green almond eyes with the blackest, thickest and longest lashes.

"It's the truth," Mizuki said. "He can read minds."

"What kind of monster…" Aglaia trailed off.

Mizuki looked frustrated. "I don't know."

Eleana shrugged helplessly. "Don't engage." Aglaia looked at Alex the other son of Zeus. "Percy is currently on break and in America from the military academy in Greece." She stated, looking at him.

Despite having already gone through university in New Rome, Percy had found another calling- the Greek navy. This came as a surprise, and not a surprise to everyone, the former because Percy was a rebel- more likely to punch a bully in the face than to advert to discipline. But lately, they'd seen a different side to Percy. Annabeth had joked that her 'Seaweed Brain' as she liked to call him, was growing up. He had become more mature, more disciplined in a way, though he certainly didn't go all out. It was possibly, because he was the commanding hero at two wars for demigods, and been responsible for them, keeping them alive and in line with everyone else. He had a good- though not professional grasp of tactics and strategy. But it was also time for him to start thinking about what he was going to do in the real world, career-wise. It also helped that Percy had warmed up to several military men- although he'd been kicked out of military schools before, he had had little respect for most teachers, save for Chiron and his stepdad. With ADHD and Dyslexia, Percy was a target to be picked on for other students, and an immediate pain to teachers who just couldn't be bothered to help, and instantly judged him. The teachers didn't all have to be monsters.

Percy had changed. Amazingly from the sounds of what his friends and sister were being told, Percy was taking to things really well in Greece.

Though technically he would have to give up his American citizenship first, or be forcibly stripped of it if he wanted to sign up for this military. It was hard for him to give that up, as New York and Camp were in America and they would always be considered his home. But he felt at home in Greece too, surprisingly.

"Be careful. We'll be sending reinforcements. I don't know who's taking these kids, but some of their trail leads to Forks. Have you spoken to the police?" Alex asked.

"Did that as soon as we left the school," Drypetis pointed out. "The Police Chief- Swan- knows absolutely nothing. And by the way, he's Edward Cullen's father-in-law."

Alex did not look amused. Aglaia looked troubled.

"I don't trust them," she said. "Make sure your scents are covered, even if you have to put a double layer of that deodorant- but no more than that, that would be too conspicuous," Alex warned them. "Do the same for the places you've stayed in including the place you are at now. Wipe and clean anything you've touched- from glassware, dishes and eating utensils to the remote- the bedsheets will have to be cleaned as soon as possible. Wear gloves. Make sure you leave no fingerprints behind or wipe them off."

Mizuki sighed. "I know this routine."

"I know you know, but anyone can overlook something, even if they've done this hundreds of times before." Alex looked straight at her. "Can he see through the Mist? Can the girl? The other boy? Anyone else?"

She shrugged. "Then that's what you need to find out." Alex said. "See if he's tracking you. He knows you know what he can do. He'll be tracking you, trying to find out as much as he wants to know to assess you as a dangerous threat."

Mizuki and Drypetis frowned. "We're only a threat to those who are a threat to us."

"Does he know that?" Nico Di Angelo, who had appeared, asked quietly. "Does he care?"

Silence.

"Thought so," Nico said. "I'll go there as well. With Percy." He nodded to Aglaia and Alex and the girls and left the Iris Message's point of view.

Alex sighed. "And I suppose I'll have to go with you. My brother wouldn't kill them yet- he'd hesitate- like you, Percy." He said sternly.

Percy scowled. To be fair, he was becoming more decisive about taking down threats, and analysing potential ones.

"Fine." Mizuki said shortly.

In the Cullen's living room…

"What do you mean they're not there?" Edward snarls, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Like he said," Emmett shrugged, nodding to Jasper. "We got there, we asked around, Nessie asked around in school, or we sniffed around. Nothing. Nada." He shook his head.

"But how is this possible?" Bella argued. "Three girls can't just appear from the face of the earth one day, disappear the next and leave no memories of them being here behind!"

"We didn't even get it," Emmett shrugged. "We hacked into the hotel records and the school's and saw nothing. No trace of any three girls or foreign exchange students being in Forks anytime including yesterday."

Edward frowned deeper.

"It's like we're the only ones who actually remember they're here," Nessie whispered. "Like we're going insane."

Edward clenched his jaw and sat down next to her, pulling her close and tight along with Bella who was already holding her tightly, as if to keep them safe.

"So what now?" Emmett demanded. "What do we do?"

"I'd say we'd sniff out their scent, but it's…" Jasper frowned. "They're not there. I can't tell whether anyone in this town or anywhere has had contact with anything special."

"That's what the wolves tell me," Edward explained. "They can't sniff them out. Everything smells so normal. Jacob and the Pack sees the memories but they can't find anything- no trace of their scent of newcomers, even security camera footage, we've checked them all and I can't find any trace of memories that involve them except in ours and Jacob's."

"I can't see them either," Alice whispered. "I was completely blind."

Alice could see vampires best because they were her own species. She could see humans reasonably well because she was once human. As for werewolves, hybrids or anyone else, she was totally blind. All she saw was a blind spot. She could smell them- if they came reasonably close. She could hear them and perceive their touch, but in her visions and her ordinary sight, they were dark and blurred.

She only saw them through Nessie's touch and memories when she asked her.

"So this proves it," Rosalie said. "They're not human."

"But we don't know whether they want to attack us or not," Carlisle point out. "Is it worthwhile hunting them? They could think we're challenging them."

"Come one, you guys heard what I said. The girl- Mizuki- threatened me directly." Edward exclaimed. "Is it worth waiting this long?" Edward then argued.

"Dad," Nessie tried to argue. "He's right. What if they-"

"The fact that the girl dared to threaten your father, Nessie, that's more than enough reasons to be suspicious," her mother told her. "Baby, you don't know, and the worst thing is, none of us do."

Nessie sighed, exasperated. But what if they felt threatened?

"What if we do?" Edward argued, hearing her thoughts. "Besides, they've already proven they can threaten me, what if they threaten your mother, you and the rest of us here?"

Nessie and her thoughts went silent like a flower closing up and withering from the lack of sun.

And the kids' rebellion has yet to begin. Please tell me how you feel.