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Felix led him through the town, showing him around. But Keith was barely paying attention.

I can never return to the mortal world again?

But what about Trinity? And Mr. and Mrs. Powell? They're going to be worried about me!

"And this is where your sleeping quarters will be. I'll show you to them after supper. Come on." Felix grabbed his wrist and dragged him back toward the dining hall.

The dining hall looked like a large outdoor patio. They did not make it of gold like the other buildings but of wood.

Felix pushed open the door and dragged Keith to a table with five kids at a table in the back. It was loud, hot, and stuffy, and Keith hated it.

A girl with pale skin, golden blond hair, and eyes the color of jade turned toward them. "Hello, Felix!"

"That's my girlfriend, Milana Acosta. Daughter of Aphrodite."

Felix sat next to his girlfriend, and Keith scanned the table nervously.

Milana smiled at him. "Hello, you must be his younger brother!" she held out a hand, and Keith shook it.

Keith gave her a small smile and took a seat beside her. He looked at the other four kids sitting across from him.

"Oh!" Felix exclaimed. "This is Keith, and feel free to introduce yourselves."

A boy around 16 nodded his head. He had a muscular build with amber-colored eyes and red-orange hair that was pulled back into a tail.

"Hey, Keith. I'm Mason Mathews, son of Apollo."

Emerson Gray, daughter of Ares, was 13. She was average height with light brown hair cut into a bob and piercing grey eyes.

Xander Kidd, son of Athena, was 16. He was tall and skinny, with thick blond hair and blue eyes.

Owen Pratt, son of Dionysus, was 4. He had brown skin, dark brown eyes, and elbow-length wavy brown hair.

Milana clapped her hands together. "Wonderful! Can someone get Keith caught up on what we were just discussing?"

"She was getting us ready for that exam in mythology class." Owen groaned, pulling a drawing pad from a bag sitting beside him.

Then a strange thought occurred to him.

These kids don't seem all that different from regular mortal kids, except for the fact that they may have powers. Maybe...

"Have you ever tried going to the mortal world?" Keith asked. "Why can't the mortals know about us?"

Xander stared at him as if he'd just grown another head. "That should be obvious! How often do you see a mortal kid control water, charge into war, or heal wounds with one touch?" he smirked at Keith's expression. "Exactly. We should stay hidden."

Owen paused his scribbling to glance at Xander. "So, you don't miss your mortal parents and friends?"

"I didn't say that." he snapped.

Keith perked up. "So, all of you have been to the mortal realm?"

"Nope." Emerson shook her head. "Most of us were raised here, in Olympus."

"Oh." Keith deflated. "Can I ask something about the war? Um. Who exactly are we fighting?"

Mason nods at Emerson. "Well, Emmy? That's your area of expertise."

"Well, I'm not sure if you recall the greek story where Kronus ate his children."

Keith nods. "A little. My-Zeus chopped him up and threw him into Tartarus, right?"

"Yea. So the gods were victorious after the ten-year war with Kronos and the Titans. Evidently, Kronos is rising again." Emerson pushed a piece of hair out of her face.

"So that's why we were attacked?" Keith mused. "The Titans are trying to get vindication for their father's death or..."

"It wasn't the Titans themselves, but their minions," Owen said, scribbling. "They took hundreds of kids, and are using their blood to bring Kronus back."

"So, why were they out to get me?" Keith asked.

Milana pinched his cheek. "Well, you're going to bring an end to Kronus once and for all."

"So, do we have any idea when they'll attack?" Mason asked, poking at the food on his tray. "Do you think they're going for the element of surprise?"

Emerson shrugged. "We've been trying to figure that out for years."

"They might try to attack when we've let down our guard." Felix pointed out. "Or, when we're least expecting it."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Keith looked around and saw the number of kids in the dining hall slowly dwindling.

He got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. Would one of you be so kind as to show me to my room?"

Owen threw his pad back in his bag and jumped to his feet. "I'll do it. I'm going up there anyways." he tossed his bag on his back. "Come on, then."

Keith waved goodbye to his new friends and followed after Owen as he left the hall.

"Can I ask a question?"

Owen shrugged.

"Your father is Dionysus, right?"

"Yea. What about it?"

Keith cocked his head. "I guess what I'm trying to ask is, what is your power? Isn't he like the god of wine?"

"Most can grow grapevines, some know how to have fun, and others can make people drunk depending on their mood."

Keith nods. "But what's yours?"

"I can make people drunk and make fun."

Keith raises an eyebrow. "Make fun, huh? So, you're the type of person who gets the party started when they walk into a room?"

"Something like that."

Keith was quiet for the rest of the walk, focusing all his energy on trying to come up with a way to escape.

They walk up to a golden building that looked like a hotel. Four columns were out front, and stairs were leading up to the two golden doors that looked extremely heavy to move.

"Well, here we are." Owen walked up the steps and knocked on the doors.

After a moment, the doors slowly opened.

Keith and Owen step inside and Keith's jaw dropped. They made the floors of marble, and off to the right was a woman sitting behind the desk. She was wearing a white dress, and pearls in her curly brown hair.

A little further into the room was a little sitting area, complete with a TV, a couch, and beanbag chairs. Off to Keith's left were two elevators.

The woman at the desk waved at them. "Hello Owen, and who is your friend?"

"Lady Hestia." Owen bowed. "This is my friend, Keith. Keith, this is Hestia. Goddess of the hearth."

Keith copied Owen and bowed. "Pleasure to meet you, miss."

Hestia smiled. "And you as well. Are you here for your room?"

Keith nodded.

"Alright." she tapped her laptop. "Keith. Keith. Ah, here we are. I have good news for you. You and Owen are neighbors!"

Owen beamed. "Yay! This calls for a celebration." Owen grabbed Keith's wrist. "Come on!"

He dragged Keith towards the elevators, and Owen was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "We're going to have so much fun! I already have a surprise planned!"

"Really?"

Owen punched in their floor number. "Yep. Do you like video games?"

"Yea."

Before the elevator door had opened all the way, Owen had grabbed his wrist again and was dragging him down the hallway.

Owen stopped in front of a room that had his name on it. Owen tapped in a code, and the door flew open.

Keith's door was on his right, and his door just had a handle. He twisted it and pushed it open. The light flickered on, and he gasped.

The room was large, and it was filled with things that he liked. Ginger ale, new speakers. They even seemed to know what he liked wearing, his favorite activities, and his favorite video games.

The king-sized bed in the middle of the room looked comfortable and inviting. And the TV ... it was huge!

"Hey dude, are you-" Owen gasped. "Holy smokes. Look at this room!"

He raced past Keith and dropped the games he brought with him on the bed. His eyes scanned the gaming collection, and he started drooling.

Keith stepped into the bathroom, and his eyes bugged out of his head.

The floor was marble, and the countertop was marble. There was a shower in the corner and a spa tub to his right. The toilet was behind a door in a closet-looking space.

"Woah, man. Imma have to sleep over here one day!" Owen exclaimed, poking his head in the bathroom.

As Keith and Owen were exiting the bathroom, there was a knock at his bedroom door. Keith raised an eyebrow at Owen, who grinned.

He skipped toward the door and threw it open.

Felix, Milana, Mason, Emerson, and a few other kids were standing on his threshold.

"What-?" Keith sputtered.

Owen turned. "Let's get this welcoming party started, yo!"

Someone started blasting music through the speakers, others started dancing, and Owen dragged Keith over to the TV so they could compete with the other boys on the video games.

As Keith watched Owen play a racing game against a blurry 16-year-old, he looked around and smiled.

This is what I've been missing out on? Is this what having a real family feels like?

Owen shook his shoulder. "Come on, dude, it's your turn!"

Keith smiled as he took the remote. He didn't think about trying to leave for the rest of the night.

This is definitely the best birthday ever.