The following is from another tape recorder found shortly after the death of Angela Denoto.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
VOICE 1: Hello, Annabeth.
VOICE 6: It's nice to see you, too. Angela.
VOICE 1: Okay, let us start. What kind of a childhood did you have? Pleasant? Not so pleasant? Or normal?
VOICE 6: Um, I read a lot. And I lived with my father. I didn't have a mother. I didn't even meet her until much later. We both look alike, Mom and me.
VOICE 1: You love your mother?
VOICE 6: Yeah! I want to be just like her!
VOICE 1: What attributes does your mother possess that make you want to be like her?
VOICE 6: Well, she's very smart. And…she's smart. She's also intelligent. She's calm. And, uh, logical. Did I mention she was smart?
VOICE 1: Do you really think that intelligence is a way to measure your happiness.
VOICE 6: Yeah, of course!
VOICE 1: Positive?
VOICE 6: Um, yeah!
VOICE 1: Then you are a sad person indeed.
VOICE 6: Excuse me!
VOICE 1: You should have the normal life any girl leads. Do you ever think about clothes, or makeup, or boys, or anything of the like? I'm not saying that being smart is a bad thing, but you do deserve a life instead of carrying that burden on your shoulders.
VOICE 6: (angrily) I do NOT have a burden!
VOICE 1: Everyone has some sort of a burden in their lives, Annabeth. Some of them are smaller than others, but they're still there. Yours, it seems, is rather big. Besides being infatuated with young Percy, you want to fill in your mother's shoes, and you are really insecure about yourself. Oh, and you've been worrying that you would be kicked off your basketball team.
VOICE 6: How did you know about the basketball team thing?
VOICE 1: I hacked.
VOICE 6: What?
VOICE 1: See, I used some gadgets to retrieve your school's mainframe computer's password, and then I changed my computer's IP address temporarily. From then on, it was simple enough. Oh, and Coach Windkloppel says that if you don't learn how to make free throws by next month, you're going to be kicked out.
VOICE 6: Darn it! Wait a minute, did you just say that I was infatuated with Percy?
VOICE 1: Why don't you retire to the other room?
VOICE 6: You are so dead. I'll tell Thalia to turn you into a jackalope!
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
VOICE 1: It's nice to see you again, Nico.
VOICE 4: (mockingly) It's nice to see you again, Nico.
VOICE 1: Did your older sister ever teach you your manners?
VOICE 4: You suck.
VOICE 1: Lovely. Now describe your childhood.
VOICE 4: I had a sister. I was an orphan. I hate broccoli. I went to school.
VOICE 1: Ahh. Let us talk about your hate for broccoli.
VOICE 4: And asparagus. Ohmigod, who likes that kind of stuff. Vegetables suck, except for carrots and potatoes because they're roots. But broccoli and asparagus? Icky! Icky! Icky! I mean, even if you put melted cheese or even butter over them, they're still totally unacceptable. I can't believe how anyone could survive eating those.
VOICE 1: How…enlightening.
VOICE 4: Uh, sorry 'bout that. Are you gonna make me look at stupid inkblots or something, stupid old therapist?
VOICE 1: No. Tell me more about your childhood.
VOICE 4: Okay, fine, stupid therapist. Oh wait! I forgot to tell you. Thalia and Luke send their love. Thalia says she's gonna turn you into a jackalope for sure, but Luke wants to stab you with Backbiter.
VOICE 1: Your childhood, Nico.
VOICE 4: Oh yeah. Uh, our mom came from Italy and she settled in the greater Los Angelas metropolitan area and stuff like that. I think. And then she had Bianca and me, and then she…died. And then Bianca and I went to an orphanage and then there were rumors that there was some sort of a prophecy…
VOICE 1: Oh?
VOICE 4: Yeah, but Bianca promised me that she would make sure both of us never went through life with that kind of burden on our shoulders. So she pleaded with our father, and then…Wait, I'm remembering all this stuff all of a sudden!
VOICE 1: Yes, yes, go on.
VOICE 4: That's all I remember. Sorry.
VOICE 1: You are lying.
VOICE 4: Am not. I just forgot something. I just almost forgot the way my sister smiled. That's all.
VOICE 1: That's all?
VOICE 4: (wistfully) Yeah. That's all. Just her smile. Sometimes when you try to remember something hard, you forget it even more.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
VOICE 1: Tell me about your childhood, Thalia.
VOICE 3: Why should I? You chained me up against the wall and then muzzled me!
VOICE 1: Well, if you had stopped fighting Luke, I wouldn't have. Besides, it wasn't a muzzle. It was a gag. There is a fine difference.
VOICE 3: Whatever! It's his fault! Anyways, my childhood was bad. Except for the time with Annabeth and Luke.
VOICE 1: What did you do with Annabeth and Luke during this time you're talking about?
VOICE 3: Nothing. We just ran around, fought monsters, ate whatever we went, woke up whenever we wanted, and didn't have a care in the entire world.
VOICE 1: Thalia…
VOICE 3: Yes, stupid Angela?
VOICE 1: What problems do you have now because of Luke and Annabeth?
VOICE 3: Annabeth gives me no problems. She just doesn't want to join the Hunters and moons after Percy, even though she says she doesn't. Oh, and she told me to turn you into a jackalope. Which I will do soon enough. Luke is stupid. He's a traitor. Therefore, he's a stupid traitor. When I was younger, I used to hope that……never mind.
VOICE 1: Luke also seems to like you.
VOICE 3: Of course he does. He's my old childhood friend.
VOICE 1: I don't mean it that way.
VOICE 3: You mean it the other way? Liar. Luke likes Jessica Alba.
VOICE 1: What?
VOICE 3: It's true. When we were younger, he'd moon over pictures of her. I had to cover Annabeth's eyes. Such indecency!
VOICE 1: Let's say that, theoretically, Luke loved you. What would you do?
VOICE 3: Nothing.
VOICE 1: What do you mean?
VOICE 3: Nothing. I would do nothing. What's past is past. Besides, I'm a Hunter now, and I don't need men. My sister doesn't take kindly to her maiden servants leaving her to run off with a boy, especially a traitor. Besides, I'm happy.
VOICE 1: Are you really?
VOICE 3: (slight pause) Yes.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
VOICE 1: It's nice to see you again, Grover.
VOICE 7: Um, yeah, uh, Angela. Yeah.
VOICE 1: You seem unusually nervous.
VOICE 7: Annabeth says if I slip up again, she'll make me sorry!
VOICE 1: Don't worry. Everything here is confidential. Tell me about your childhood.
VOICE 7: Um, I grew up with my dad and Uncle Ferdinand.
VOICE 1: How are they?
VOICE 7: They died.
VOICE 1: Oh. Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.
VOICE 7: It's all right. Dad left home and probably died when I was eight. Uncle Ferdinand left when I was sixteen, but I didn't find out what happened to him. That is until, the whole Lightning bolt quest, when I saw his body petrified by Medusa.
(Grover suddenly breaks out into crying. Angela tries to comfort him. This lasts for about five to ten minutes.)
VOICE 7: Sorry. Sorry about that, Angela. Can I call you Angie?
VOICE 1: Yeah, sure…
VOICE 7: I miss my father and uncle! Waaaah!
VOICE 1: You poor thing. Who took care of you?
VOICE 7: I was an orphan. Waaah!
VOICE 1: There, there.
VOICE 7: Since you feel so sorry for me, baby…do you wanna go out on a date?
(Silence for about a minute, punctuated by a slap.)
VOICE 7: Ow! Ow! That hurts.
VOICE 1: Serves you right. Now go on out.
VOICE 7: Bye…wait a minute!
VOICE 1: Yes?
VOICE 7: It seems like your aura is…no. It's just my imagination.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
VOICE 1: Hello little Luke. Annakin. Skywalker.
VOICE 5: You shut up.
VOICE 1: Forgive me, I couldn't help myself. Anyway, I know a little bit about your childhood. Tell me some more. Your feelings, stuff like that.
VOICE 5: No. Nosy person. You almost made me feel like a good guy last time.
VOICE 1: I think that you really are a good person, Luke. It's just that you don't realize it, and you've lost too much.
VOICE 5: I know I'm a good person.
VOICE 1: Good!
VOICE 5: Not good as in I'm a really good person, but I'm on the right side.
VOICE 1: Ah yes. Do you regret it?
VOICE 5: No! Why would I regret it?
VOICE 1: You hurt your friends. And you lost Thalia.
VOICE 5: I don't need Thalia! When we were younger, do you know what she did? She put all fifteen of my Jessica Alba posters into the shredder! The shredder! And I loved those posters! Then she broke all of my little Angie Jolie figurines, and my, um, very historical Helen of Troy statues!
VOICE 1: Ah.
VOICE 5: You think it's funny, don't you? Well it's not!
VOICE 1: I never said that!
VOICE 5: But I can tell. You're smirking!
(At this point, Angela Denoto laughs heartily for more than five minutes, and Luke protests fiercely, calling her a "stupid therapist" at several points.)
VOICE 5: I hate you…
VOICE 1: Don't you love therapy as much as you love Thalia?
VOICE 5: Hell no. I love Thalia way more. Wait!
VOICE 1: So you do love Thalia.
VOICE 5: No, I don't.
VOICE 1: You do realize this is all being recorded.
VOICE 5: Darn it!
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
VOICE 1: Percy!
VOICE 2: What did you do to the others? Thalia's sulking in corner, Nico is off daydreaming about something, Annabeth is fuming, and Luke broke another one of your vases. The one with the yellow roses in them.
VOICE 1: Ouch. I loved the yellow roses.
VOICE 2: Yeah. My mom loves them, too.
VOICE 1: I didn't do anything to them, by the way. Just talked to them.
VOICE 2: Yeah right. I've never ever seen Nico this spacey, and Thalia this sulky. Now I'm scared on what you'll do to me.
VOICE 1: Tomorrow is your sixteenth birthday, correct?
VOICE 2: Yeah, so?
VOICE 1: You seem nervous about it. Your sweet sixteen is always a big deal.
VOICE 2: Mine's a big deal, too. A huge deal. A gigantic deal. In other words, it's very big.
VOICE 1: Yeah, I kind of figured that out myself.
VOICE 2: Well, yeah. I have no idea what the gods will do to me now! Luke said they had something lined up for my sixteenth birthday, and it sure as hell doesn't sound good. I'll probably run away. Yes, I'll run away…
VOICE 1: You can't just run away. For one thing, where would you run away to?
VOICE 2: I could probably crash at Annabeth's place. She wouldn't mind. I think. And if she does mind, I'll hide in a box like a hobo!
VOICE 1: Percy, you're standing up.
VOICE 2: What? Oh, sorry. I'll sit down again.
VOICE 1: Good. Thank you. Percy, you should never be scared of growing up.
VOICE 2: In my case, it's different.
VOICE 1: Different or not, you should learn to love life. Look forward to every birthday until you get old and die. That kind of stuff. Not matter what anyone has planned for you doesn't mean you should panic.
VOICE 2: Oh.
VOICE 1: I think our session is over.
(Someone outside is banging on he door, demanding that Percy come out. It is a policeman.)
VOICE 2: Man, now I'm really going to jail. See ya later, Angela.
VOICE 1: See you later, too. You and your friends are extraordinary young people, Percy. I hope I can meet you guys again. Outside of the therapy office, of course. Oh, and don't worry about the police. I got you all off.
VOICE 7: Really? Thanks!
(Sounds of Percy exiting the room excitedly.)
VOICE 1: Heh. He and the others were more than what I expected.
(Five minutes of nothing but the sound of pencil scratching on paper.)
(Sound of someone else entering room.)
VOICE 8: Angela! You really did a remarkable job.
VOICE 1: Oh, hello. Long time no see, Father.
VOICE 8: So, how did you manipulate the policemen so easily? Wait, don't tell me!
VOICE 1: That's right. I finally learned to manipulate the Mist.
VOICE 8: That Chiron has really taught you well.
VOICE 1: Oh, please. Chiron only taught me back when I was a kid. I learned to manipulate the Mist on my own.
VOICE 8: How did you like them?
VOICE 1: They were a bunch of weird teenagers. Just like I once was. My half-brother likes Jessica Alba. Did you know that?
VOICE 8: My son's tastes are a little…fanatical at times. But he's a good kid.
VOICE 1: I gave them my e-mail address.
VOICE 8: Your mistake, Angela. You will get unbelievable spam.
VOICE 1: Want to make a bet?
VOICE 8: You're on. Hey, you forgot to turn the tape recorder off.
VOICE 1: Oh yeah. Here.
(End of tape recorder.)
Chapter 2 completed! Surprised that Angela is a half-blood, the daughter of Hermes? I had that planned out since I first started. The next chapter will be about Angela exchanging a few e-mails. Oh, and I recommend that you read the first chapter again. I made some changes.