Mortals meet Demigods (And Some One Shots)

Seashells and Stones

Through the children spilling out of the front doors of Alexander's School for Misbehavers, a pair of blue trainers emerged, looking out of place in the sea of black shoes and tight stockings or ugly brown pants.

 As the blue shoes skipped their way out of the schoolyard, people noticed, bursting into giggles and whispers over the blonde-haired girl who always wore a hoodie. Slowly, the girl's skips were slowed until they matched the mournful march of the other students in uniform, lugging dull backpacks heavy with homework in either the right or the left.

 But the girl stopped at the entrance of of her school, waiting until the students had milled away in either direction before quickly, cautiously, running forward before she reached another street and sidewalk. She continued to walk briskly through the neighborhood of large houses and expensive cars before she came across what she was looking for.

 The sea.

 It's glittering, beautiful shades of blue, rippling with every wave that brought it closer to the sandy shore. On a cold and stormy day like that one, the sea was cold iron grey, its waves roaring so wildly the girl could almost close her eyes and see a god from one of her mother's tales of Greek myths.

 Zoe Jackson ran her way down the sandy shores and to the roaring waves.

 She threw off her hood, letting her curly, shoulder length blonde hair fly in the salty sprays of the sea. Her sea green eyes, so light they were almost blue, glittered happily and she kicked off her trainers, cuffing her jeans and walking ankle deep into the water.

 She was home.

 After a long day, she was at her home by the sea, feeling the sand under her feet, the wind between her hair, the water against her skin. She closed her eyes half way, scanning the sand for any shells or rocks worthy of her attention.

 It was one of her luckier days; from the corner of her eye, she found a perfectly smooth, oval shaped rock, grey but shot with strands of blue and gold. She cleaned off the water by wiping it on her jeans and stuffed it in her pocket.

 By the time she felt it was time she should be getting home, she'd collected five seashells and three rocks. As she put her hands in her pockets for the journey home, she felt the rocks and shells moving between her fingers, surprisingly warm and comforting as she walked up to one of the biggest and fanciest houses in the neighborhood.

 She pulled a key off the chain around her neck and unlocked the door, stepping in and calling, "Mom, I'm home!" Naturally, there was no answer.

 Zoe sighed, cursing her mom's job as CEO of Athena's Architecture; even though she earned a lot of money, it meant she was barely ever home, and it wasn't like there was anyone in the area to take care of her.

 As Zoe was taking off her shoes, her eyes were drawn to a picture on a wall that brought a lump to her throat and tears into her eyes. It showed a pretty, blonde woman with princess curls and tan skin holding a bundle of blankets, her stormy grey eyes filled with tears, and a tan, raven haired man with bright, sea green eyes, a grin on his face as he wrapped an arm around the blonde woman.

 Zoe wiped away her tears quickly and walked into the living room, dropping her bag on a couch and making a beeline for the kitchen, where she found the telephone and punched in a number. As the phone tried for any signal, Zoe noticed a note like many others resting on the kitchen counter. She picked it up.

 Zoe,

 Sorry, but I'm coming home late again; there's a bit of trouble brewing here at the workplace. I know there's no one to look after you, but I know well enough that you can take care of yourself; you're my strong girl.