Home on the Range

Three young teens bolted up the escalator after passing through airport security. Their flight was boarding for Houston in ten minutes and their gate was on the other end of the massive airport. Will's archery equipment held them back as security was hesitant to allow it through. Isaac managed to convince them eventually using his charm and they were on their way.

"I told you to leave the bow behind but nooo you just had to bring it!" Skylar calls to Will jumping over a suitcase in her way.

"Easy for you to say! Yours is always compact in a ring!" Will shoots back at his sister. He narrowly misses crashing into an elderly woman who hits him with her handbag. Apologizing profusely he escaped the old woman's wrath to catch up with Isaac and Skylar.

"I wasn't prepared to sprint all the way there!" Isaac wheezes slowing down and clutching at his side. His endurance levels were a third of the Solace Twins'. Skylar doubles back to him grabbing one of his arms while Will grabs the other. They practically drag the green-eyed boy the rest of the way to their departure gate. Isaac collapses onto a chair nearby his chest heaving from all the running. Will, who was panting significantly less, hands him a bottle of water from his carry on bag. Skylar double checks the ticket in her hand to confirm they're at the right location. Made it with three minutes to spare.

Better to be safe than sorry, she keeps an eye on the people surrounding them. This section of the airport was surprisingly busy being as they were departing close to five in the morning. That being said she only hoped there wouldn't be an issue while in the air. Skylar strikes up a conversation with the attendant sitting behind the counter to get answers. After finding out all she needed she wanders back to the boys as they call for boarding.

"Good news is it's a nonstop flight. Bad news is one of our seats are a few rows behind the other two. I'll take that one so you boys can sit and gossip together." Skylar teases passing out the tickets as they get in line.

"Aw you don't wanna sit next to me? I'm hurt Sky." Will holds a hand over his chest.

"Who says I wanna sit with Mr. Sunshine over here?" Isaac jabs a thumb over in Will's direction.

"What is this rip on Will day?" The blond sighs handing the flight attendant his ticket and walking down the entryway. Isaac and Skylar follow after showing their tickets.

"I just figured you two would have more to talk about. I'm just planning on reading the entire flight so my company wouldn't be very exciting." Skylar pats her bag containing a few snacks, two bottles of water and the black book.

"We'll see you later then. If you need us then come find us." Isaac waves shimmying down the aisle behind Will toward the back of the plane. Skylar makes her way to her seat in the center row next to a small boy no older than seven. An adult woman sat on the left side of him already snoring in her seat. Giving the boy a small smile she takes her seat placing her messenger bag by her feet.

Bright hazel eyes look up at her. "Hi! My name's Elliot!" The boy introduces himself holding a small hand out for Skylar to shake. She takes his hand in her own giving it a small shake and a bright smile. He returns it with his own toothy grin.

"Why hello there Elliot my name is Skylar. Are you traveling with your mother today?" Elliot shakes his mop of dark brown hair at her question.

"Nuh uh, I'm flying by myself today cause mommy is waiting for me at home. What about you miss? How come you're by yourself?" He questions and Skylar admires his politeness. It was oddly flattering being as most children his age aren't exactly nice.

"Oh I'm not, my brother and friend are just sitting somewhere else. We couldn't find seats close to each other. It's not all bad though cause I get to sit next to a very nice boy." Elliot grins at this much to her enjoyment.

"So you don't mind talking to me? My mom always complains about how I talk too much." He frowns and Skylar makes it her sole mission to keep a smile on this child's face through the whole flight.

"Of course not. I actually prefer the company." She giggles and pauses their conversation briefly to listen to the announcements. Clicking her seatbelt in she double checks both Elliot's and the snoring woman's as well. From the corner of her eye she notices Elliot grip the armrests on his seat tighter. He must be scared to fly, poor thing. Hey Zeus mind doing a girl a solid and not shaking the plane? Thanks. Gently she grips one of his hands in her own to offer a form of comfort. Elliot squeezes it as the plane gains speed and lifts off of the runway. His eyes clench closed until the plane finally levels out in the air. Soft humming fills the small space and Elliot peaks his eyes open to look at Skylar. His shoulders visibly relax listening to the quiet tune.

"Are you a singer miss Skylar?" He questions staring up at the blonde.

"I am. Here's an idea, how about I tell you a story to pass the time?" His hazel eyes light up at the question and nods furiously.

Skylar dives right into the story basically summing up the life of a demigod. "Somewhere hidden in the fog of Long Island Sound lies a camp filled with children born from Greek gods. For each god there is a cabin erected at the camp for them even if they do not have children. Currently there are twelve. There's Zeus, god of the sky and ruler of all other Olympians. His daughter Thalia left camp to become a hunter. Hera, Zeus's wife and goddess of marriage and family. She doesn't have any children at the camp. Poseidon the god of the sea. His son Percy can speak to horses and manipulate water. There's also Demeter the goddess of grain and Ares the god of war. Ares's daughter Clarisse fights her opponents with a spear charged with electricity." She pauses to see Elliot honed in on listening to the story. His hazel eyes full of wonder.

"Next we have Athena the goddess of wisdom and battle tactics. Annabeth, Athena's daughter is one of the best strategists you'll ever meet. My personal favorite Apollo the god of the sun, light, healing, music, poetry, archery and prophecy. Prophecies are sort of like predictions of the future. I've heard his son Will is one of the best healers at camp, his singing could use some work though." Skylar giggles along with Elliot.

"Apollo has a twin sister named Artemis. She's the goddess of the hunt but instead of having children of her own she recruits young female warriors to travel alongside her. Cabin number nine stands for Hephaestus the god of forges. Right after him is the bright pink cabin for Aphrodite the goddess of love and beauty. One of her sons, Isaac is new to the camp and is still finding a place to fit in."

"He shouldn't have to fit in. I feel you should be able to be whatever you wanna be." Elliot interrupts with a bright smile. Skylar agrees with him wholeheartedly focusing back on her explanation.

"After Aphrodite you can find Hermes the messenger god. His two sons Connor and Travis are sneaky and love to play pranks on unsuspecting campers. Dionysus the god of wine, parties and madness supplies the final cabin. Pollux and Castor as his sons, they were twins but big mean monsters took Castor far away from his brother never to be seen again. Even though that's all the cabins there is one more god I'd like to mention before getting to the action. Hades the god of the dead and riches. His son is actually very good friends with a daughter of Apollo."

"But isn't Apollo the god of healing? Why would she be friends with a boy who's dad literally rules over the dead?" Elliot questions his eyebrows furrowed.

"Nobody can pick who their parents are Elliot. Just because the two are opposites doesn't mean they can't be friends. In fact, I think those friendships are the best there is." A warm smile graces her lips at the thought.

"Now being the child of a demigod is never easy for these children. They rarely ever see their godly parent and their lives are constantly in danger. Most of their days are spent training in the arena or climbing a rock wall that shoots real lava!" Skylar makes an exploding sound. "One time there was a breach in the border surrounding Camp Half-blood. A giant hound the size of a truck threatened the lives of the campers. Using their swords, spears and arrows they worked as a team to confront the beast. It let out a mighty howl charging through the crowd and throwing the kids aside that dared stand in its way. The son of Poseidon, Percy used his power over water to knock the beast off balance giving the other campers time to regroup and strike at the hound. In a burst of light the monster vanished leaving only a large pile of gold dust behind."

"Whoa! I bet the campers were scared right? I would be if I had to fight giant monsters all the time." Elliot gapes at Skylar.

"Of course they were. They are still human after all. At some point they grow accustomed to the constant danger until it becomes just another day to them." The young boy nods at her explanation. Skylar continues to tell Elliot stories about Camp Half-blood until they are two hours into the flight. His head leans against her arm as his eyes fall closed to get some rest. Instead of getting some sleep like her young companion she decides to finally crack open the book she brought with her.

It was left on her pillow one night and never got the chance to read it. The cover itself was nothing too special just made out of hard, black leather. Upon opening it to the first page her eyes almost bulge from their sockets. There, written in delicate scripture is the name of Bianca di Angelo.

Isaac groans from boredom shifting his hunter green eyes to look over at Will. The blonde stayed focus on the novel in his hands oblivious to his friend's complaints. A finger begins to prod at his cheek tearing him away from finding who the murderer is. Raising an eyebrow he looks at Isaac slightly annoyed.

"Can I help you?" He questions wanting to return to the murder novel he was reading.

"I'm going crazy from boredom man. The little twerp kicking my seat isn't helping." Isaac grumbles turning to glare harshly at the kid behind him. Will sighs bookmarking his page and pulling an Ipod from his bag. He offers an earbud to Isaac pressing shuffle on his playlist. Instantly the lyrics to 'Old Scars/Future Hearts play through the speakers.

"I thought demigods couldn't have electronics, something about them being monster attractors?" Isaac questions as Will hums quietly along with the music.

"Normally they are. Luckily we have a few skilled mechanics at camp that hooked the Apollo cabin up. We each have our own monster proof devices." Will explains. Settling into his seat Isaac allows the music to ease his previous boredom. As more songs played he had to admit Will had pretty nice taste in music. After about an hour a head full of wavy blonde hair falls on Issac's shoulder. Chuckling to himself he removes the earbud from Will's ear and inserts it in his own allowing the boy to rest for the remaining time they had left.

Narrowing her eyes at the page Skylar contemplates actually reading the book now. It obviously didn't belong to her and its new rightful owner would be Nico. Chewing on her bottom lip she turns to the next page hoping that Bianca would forgive her. Deciphering the sentences took some time due to her dyslexia but what she could make out she pieced together. It was Bianca's journal, a recollection of her events from being led to a hotel by a lawyer. Something had happened to their mother and as a result they were taken away to live elsewhere. Skimming through the pages Skylar learns more and more about the young girl. Even little pieces about Nico were included. She was seeing the hard life Bianca led and realized how justified her choice to join The Hunters of Artemis was. Ever since their mother passed away Bianca had to fill her place acting as both mother and sister to Nico. All she wanted was to live her own life. Bianca saw becoming a hunter as an opportunity to do that. I wonder if Artemis did as well.

Skylar doesn't realize she's crying until halfway through the journal and the plane finally lands. The concerned face of Elliot appears in front of her, his hand shaking her shoulder. "Miss Skylar? Are you okay?" She hurries to wipe away the tears on her blouse sleeve nodding at him.

"Y-Yeah, I was just reading a sad book is all." Tossing the book back into her bag she unbuckles her seatbelt and helps Elliot retrieve his bag from the carry on compartment. Together they depart from the plane and step off the side of the long hallway to wait for Isaac and Will. The duo emerges last, Will was still half asleep and Isaac walked behind him urging him to walk with a yawn.

"About time you two showed up." Skylar scolds them placing a hand on her hip.

"Cut us some slack I had to force Will out of the seat and my legs went numb from the nonexistent leg room." Isaac sighs hoisting Will's bag over his shoulder as the group begins to walk.

"Mhmm, hey Sky? Am I still dreaming or do you have a kid holding your hand?" Will asks rubbing his eyes and looking down at Elliot.

"Oh, right. This is Elliot, he kept me company on the plane. He's traveling alone so I offered to stay with him until we find his mom. Elliot this is my brother, Will and our friend Isaac." Elliot's hazel eyes light up at the introduction.

"Like the campers from your story miss Skylar! It's nice to meet you!" He cheers giving the boys a dazzling smile.

"Hey kiddo." Will waves lazily in greeting giving the young child a warm smile.

"Hi there." Isaac nods in greeting.

As they exit the gate Elliot looks around the crowd for his mother. "I don't see her." He frowns.

"You just need a better view is all." Elliot squeals in surprise when Will hoists him up onto his shoulders. "There, how about now?" Hazel eyes scan over the faces of the crowd still coming up with nothing.

"Well let's head to the front maybe your mom is just running a little late." Skylar offers leading the group toward the escalators. Elliot keeps his eyes peeled for a trace of his mother as the young teens near the sliding glass doors leading outside Houston airport. A woman with curly black hair and tan skin weaves through the swarm of people traversing through the building.

"Elliot darling there you are!" She waves nearing Will, Skylar and Isaac. Will sets down the young boy running to his mom with open arms.

"Mommy!" He grins burying his face into her shirt as she lifts him into the air.

"How was the flight sweetheart? Were you scared?" She questions setting the young boy on her hip.

"Nuh uh! Miss Skylar told me stories so I forgot I was even in the air." Her eyes shift from her son over to the teens standing off to the side.

"She did? Well that was very nice of her. How about you say thank you to her and her friends for keeping you company." Elliot's mother smiles setting her son back down on the ground. Skylar kneels to the ground to engulf the little one in a hug after he runs over.

"Miss Skylar? Were those stories you told me true?" His voice whispers in her ear.

"If you believe it to be true then it just might be." Skylar boops his nose gently with her finger ushering him back to his mother.

"Oooh, I get it. Thank you miss Skylar!" He calls departing with his mom.

"You're very welcome Elliot, take care!" She waves until they're out of sight turning back to the smiling faces of Isaac and Will. "Hm?"

"You have a habit in picking up strays Skylar." Isaac chuckles ruffling her hair. She merely shrugs at his comment walking with the boys to the car waiting outside to take them home.

Isaac stared in awe at the twins' house after stepping out of the car. Skylar nudges him in the side also looking up at the home. The outside was made up of red brick and white vinyl siding. The roof itself is tin and Skylar recalls enjoying the sound it made when rain hit against it. A large porch took up most of the front of the house, its roof supported by carved wooden beams painted white to match the vinyl. A woman sat in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch, a notebook in her lap. Her auburn hair curled around her ears falling slightly out of the clip pinning it back.

"Mom!" Skylar and Will rush up to her engulfing the woman in a group hug. Ms. Solace kisses the top of her children's heads squeezing their bodies against her.

"I missed you two so much, how has camp been?" She questions releasing the twins. Isaac coughs awkwardly gaining her attention. "Who is this?" Calm eyes look over the brunet.

"This is Isaac Mackenzie. I hope you don't mind that we brought him, he just...couldn't stay at camp right now." Will introduces walking over to said boy and slinging an arm around his shoulder.

"It's nice to meet you ma'am." Isaac says nervously playing with the locket around his neck.

"Honey there's no need to be so formal call me Naomi." Ms. Solace smiles pleasantly. "Although I do wish these two would of told me sooner. I could of had a bed all ready for you."

"No no please don't trouble yourself over me. I'll just crash on the couch or something." He

Waves his hands at the kind woman.

"Don't worry mom, we'll handle it." Skylar reassures her mother and head inside the house. Will follows after her with Isaac and they dive right into the tour. The house was divided into three floors. The first consisting of the kitchen, dining room, family room, bathroom and laundry area. On the second floor were three bedrooms each with their own bathroom and a music room. The third floor consisted of the attic but all the storage boxes have been pushed to one side of the room leaving the rest of the wooden floor free to walk on. One thing Isaac noted was that every room in the house had a massive window allowing sunlight to stream in. Travelling back downstairs they walk through the sliding glass door in the kitchen leading into the back yard.

"You...have animals?" Isaac questions pointing at the large red barn in the distance.

"Just horses, we can go riding while you're here if you want. There's also a lake deep in the woods over there." Skylar points to a forest not too far away from the barn.

"Alright you three I need to get you enrolled at the school. Can you handle lunch and settling in while I'm gone?" Naomi calls from the kitchen jingling her car keys in her hand. Will tells her they'll take care of it. Skylar tells the boys she's going to bring her bags to her room and unpack. This left lunch in the hands of two boys.

"Pizza rolls?" Isaac asks holding the bag into the air after sifting through the freezer. Will looks over nodding his head in agreement. It was the only thing the could cook properly given the limited experience they each had. Everything would be fine. As long as they didn't burn the house down that is.