Kaden
Ok so what most people that go through the HoF (house of Forbiddens) don't realize is how many demigods go through the HoF. Over the past ten years over a hundred demigods have sheltered in my home, for anywhere from a day to a year. Currently I have six permanent residents. Audrey, Jack, Ian, Riley, me and my dad. But people forget that everyone in the household needs demigod supplies. Jack needs arrows, he tries to salvage them when he can but he still needs to resupply. The house is in constant need of medical supplies whether that be nectar and ambrosia or bandages and stitches. Weapons are needed for any demigod that comes to my house begging for shelter, plus all of the normal things need for five kids with one alone parent. Food, school supplies, extracurricular activity fees and all of the rest of it. All of that to say yes, yes I did know who likely stole Ares' apple.
Harry and Henry. The two twin brother run Henry and Harry's Humble Abode for the Young and Helpless, a magical shop that mysteriously popped up when someone needed it. This magical little shop gave me good prices on the demigod equipment needed to run a safe house, and extremely good deals because I bought everything in bulk. And yes, I knew that everything I bought was probably stolen at one time or other.
"Where are we going?" Christine asked as we clambered back into the car. Audrey looked at me as I smiled.
"Shotgun!" Audrey called, because there was no matter more important than deciding who got shotgun.
"You will see." I said swinging into shotgun despite an irritated Audrey muttering.
"Where are we off to?" My dad asked, his eyebrows raised. Apparently having no worries that we wouldn't get back.
"Straight down the street," I replied spying an apparently uninhabited building. My dad drove down the street, parking in the parking lot of the abandon building.
"Should I go in, or stay out here?" He asked.
"Do we need anything for the house?" I asked and he shook his head.
"Not that I can think of."
"Then no." I replied, he nodded.
"Have fun, don't spend too much," he warned us, as we climbed out of the car. The building suddenly changed, the building paint color turned from a plaster falling off gray to a bright neon yellow, lights lighting up every window.
"Come on?" I said beckoning to the two girls. Audrey wasn't all that surprised, I had a feeling she suspected that this is where we were going, she had come with me on a few of my trips here. Christine on the other hand was amazed by every little thing.
"But how?" she asked confused, "this wasn't here..."
Audrey laughed, "you're in a world where anything can happen, get used to it."
Walking in was an experience of its own. Everything and anything that anyone could possible need was in the room, from flying brooms (I didn't ask) to an exact fake replica of Zeus' lightning bolt (again didn't ask).
"Hey look, it's our favorite customer!" The twins cried in unison. This would be considered funny... if they weren't two men in their mid-thirties.
"And she brought friends." One of them (don't ask me which) cried happily. Sometimes I have a very hard time believing that these who were some of the best thieves in the world. They couldn't keep quiet for more than a few seconds at a time!
"I recognize you," I the other one said, pointing at Audrey who smiled mischievously at them. They were her kind of people, crazy, unafraid, and incredible loyal. Christine on the other hand had slowly made her way behind us, trying to duck away from these two brown eyed men. "But you," he said pointing out Christine, "your new." The light in their eyes could be a little unnerving for someone who had never met the two before.
"Enough chit-chat," I said looking at the men, "we would like to buy the golden apple that you stole from Ares." Instantly their eyes clouded, nervously. Of course, it would have been stupid of me to believe that it was really going to be that easy.
"Well, we kinda sold it, but the group that we sold it to is still in the store, so maybe you can buy it from them!" Harry (I think) said more excited as he realized there may still be a way to get the apple.
As he was talking a nauseous feeling started creeping over me, not sickness but fear, for family.
"Kaden are you Ok?" Audrey asked alarmed.
"Something's wrong." I muttered
"Great, you do realize that if you get sick your dad is going to want more of an explanation that 'something's wrong'" Audrey explained.
"No, something is wrong at the house, someone is attacking." I muttered, trying not to let fear creep into my voice. Everyone glanced at each other.
"Oh," her voice was flat, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was thinking about Jack. "Well we can't do anything about that now so, let's get that apple and do what we can do." She pointed out and I nodded, shaking myself out of a fearfully daydream.
"Right sorry." I muttered.
"There is the group," Henry pointed out.
They were by far the oddest group of demigods that I had ever seen, two older boys couldn't be more then twenty and one who seemed a little younger, plus a young blonde girl, who was related to the younger boy. The older boys seemed to be complete opposites. One had dark skin with black hair, wearing an odd assortment of chainmail accessories, including a vest and bowtie. The other older boy was incredible pale with white hair. His fingers moving across him, likely some kind of sign language.
"He's doing sign language," Christine muttered, and I nodded. The younger boy had messy longer blonde hair, he seemed a little more muscular than his companions and all of them seemed amazed by this place and a golden sword necklace around his neck in some kind of punk style that he didn't seem to be trying to pull off. The girl by far seemed the most in her element here, which was no surprise with her bright orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt.
"Well let's go talk to them, we don't have all day." I said quickly, then walked over to them.
"Hi," I said approaching the group.
The older boy, one with dark leather colored skin and black hair that went everywhere looked at me uncertainly.
"Hello?" His confusion apparent in his tone.
"Sorry to bother you, but the store owners said that you bought a golden apple from them, I was wondering if it was possible to buy it from you." I asked.
"Why would you want it?" The blonde haired girl asked, she looked a good amount like Riley leading me to believe that she was likely a child of Athena.
"My team and I need it for a bargain," I explained briefly. This girl understood the way of demigods, I could handle her.
"We bought it for 50 drachmas," she said.
"Annabeth," the boy, who looked about her age, warned her. Instantly I pulled out my wallet, removing 50.
"This willing to buy it back?" I asked. She hesitated, glancing at her teammates.
"I'll pay more, information that we are bargaining for may be vital for our quest." I begged. The older boy, the pale one that uses sign language signed something to the other one.
"He wants us to give it to her," Sighed the blonde boy that appeared around the girl's age. The girl extended the apple and held her hand out for the drachmas, I handed them to her.
"Thank you," I told them, before returning to my own group.
"We got it!" Audrey shouted, and I laughed alongside them.
"Yep, and we better get it to Ares soon, I really don't want to be late," I muttered. The others looked at me with agreeance.
"Well we better get a move on."
Ian
The old creepy lady-monster-thing had made it into the house without a problem, then went around claiming that she was going to eat of the children in the household. That was not good.
Riley came pounding down the stairs to get a better look at the monster. "Oh," he said, sounding utterly disappointed.
"What do you mean 'oh' I am a mean and cruel monster here to eat all of your children." The monster lady insisted.
"But Lamia there are no children in this household."
By: Marie Fay