CHAPTER FIFTEEN
( what nobody expected )

SINCE WE WERE the first heroes to ever return alive to Half-Blood Hill after Luke, everybody treated us like heroes. We followed the old camp tradition, and wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor. Then, we led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence. My siblings decorated mine with golden silk with actual gold sewed in between the linings, a lyre embroidered in the middle of it.

Annabeth's shroud was gorgeous – gray silk with embroidered owls – Percy even told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told him to shut up.

Being the son of Poseidon, Percy didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his own shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle. Lee had to physically restrain me from fighting back against Clarisse and her friends, so the least I could do was offer to cut my own shroud in half and share it with Percy, but he refused.

My cabin led the sing-along and passed out toasted marshmallows, and to say that I missed the flavor of the marshmallows melting in my mouth was an understatement. Will was ecstatic to have me back safe and sound, and he talked my ear off for half the bonfire about what he did in my absence; I have to say, I missed that too.

Everything fell back to normal. Percy sat with old Hermes cabin mates, Annabeth laughed with her friends from Athena's cabin and Grover's satyr buddies were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. The council had called Grover's performance on the quest 'Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past.'

The only ones not in a mood to celebrate were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks were a sign of never forgiving Percy for 'disgracing their dad'.

I was so relieved to be back home safe that even Mr. D's welcome-home speech didn't ruin the night for me. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday. . ."

On the Fourth of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for the annual fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't didn't settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. I've seen the show every year, so I knew by now how the blasts were sequenced so tightly to look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of thirty-meter-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.

As Percy, Annabeth and I were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover showed up to tell us goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and trainers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, his goatee had got thicker and he'd put on weight. His horns had grown a few centimeters, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say. . .well, you know."

It wasn't every day a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan, and I knew Grover had been looking forward to this ever since he was young, but it would be hard not to have him around. Annabeth stood up and gave him a hug, not forgetting to tell him to keep his fake feet on. Percy asked him where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he answered, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan. . ."

"We understand," Annabeth nodded. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah."

I crossed my arms, looking at him knowingly. "And your reed pipes?"

"Jeez, girls," he grumbled. "You're like two old mama goats."

But he didn't really sound annoyed. His teasing, which would've normally had me scoffing back a laugh, brought a smile to my lips. He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck."

He gave me a goodbye hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes. At the same time, the fireworks exploded to life above us: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington ( a son of Athena ) crossing the Delaware.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called. He turned at the edge of the woods. "Wherever you're going – I hope they make good enchiladas."

Grover grinned, and before I knew it, he disappeared in between the trees.

"We'll see him again," Annabeth broke the silence, both reassuring us and herself.

Grover was smart, he'd know what to do. I tried not to think about how no satyr has come back from their search in two thousand years, but I shrugged the negative thought off. Grover would be the first. I knew that, somehow.

This year's summer came to an end quicker than I expected. 

The campers had one last meal together and, as usual, we burned part of our dinner for the gods. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads. The excitement of receiving my sixth consecutive bead got the best of me, and I couldn't wait to see what it had as a design. The bead was pitch black, with a sea-green trident drawn in the center. I thought it might help as inspiration for my newest charm in my bracelet.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Michael and Molly decided to mess with me and pushed me to the front, claiming that I deserved the applause too. My cheeks grew hot at the attention, although I'd been craving for a situation like this since I first got back to camp. From the corner of my eye, I saw Athena's cabin doing the same to Annabeth, making me laugh at the look on her face.  It felt weird though  – being clapped at for a quest I didn't even lead. In the back of my head, I couldn't help but wonder if my dad was proud of me for participating in the quest.

     THE NEXT MORNING, Cabin Seven was mostly deserted. Everyone was either cleaning for the cabin inspection or packing their bags for departure. We always went from one of the cabins with the most members to a few at the end of the summer. Lee was going back home with his mortal mother, so it was up to me to watch over the cabin since his seconds in command were going home too. Will and I were part of the few that were going to stay, and we had to endure a 10-minute lecture from Lee to not burn the cabin down in his absence. I've been in camp longer than he has, so if I wanted to burn the cabin down, I would've done it a long time ago.

After making sure my bunk and personal objects ( which were few ) were in order, I walked outside the cabin to see how all the other campers were doing. The campgrounds were all alone, quite the opposite from every other summer day. The sun was at the perfect angle to hit its rays of light against my cabin, making it glow so brightly that the walls glimmered like it was made of real gold. Far ahead, Argus was helping some of the Aphrodite kids haul their suitcases over the hill where the camp's shuttle bus would be waiting to take them to the airport.

"If a new camper comes, don't let them take my bunk!"

I turned back to the cabin's door and saw Molly step outside, turning her head forward after yelling at the others inside, both her hands occupied in carrying her suitcases. She was going back to Philadelphia for the school year, so she wore a Phillies baseball cap over her curled hair.

"You're the boss now, Díaz, make sure they don't steal my bunk."

I playfully saluted. "You got my word."

Her usual stern features melted away, and she looked down at me like there were thousands of things she wanted to say to me. "Take care, okay? No more killer quests for you."

"Trust me, I want nothing to do with quests for a few months." And it was true. I enjoyed the quest, don't get me wrong, but I wanted to fall back to my regular routine. "And you, be careful with any monsters out there."

She brushed my words away with a wave of a hand. "School's ten times worse than monsters."

I laughed, though it sounded quite forced. Was I jealous that she got the choice to go home and have the smallest bit of normalcy in her life while I was stuck here? Maybe. The chances of me returning to a normal, mortal school were as slim as the red team ever winning Capture the Flag again. But the thought of even voicing my discomfort out loud made me feel like a terrible person.

"Hey," Molly nudged my shoulder, snapping me away from my thoughts. "You kinda disappeared on me there, kiddo."

"I'm gonna miss you, that's all." She always left at the end of the summer, but it was still difficult to say goodbye.

"You'll manage," She told me. "Oh, and, don't go easy on Will. Use this chance as revenge for the way we treated you when you first joined."

I shook my head. "I'm breaking the cycle of shame."

She pushed my shoulder playfully and leaned down to grab her forgotten bags from the floor, but a sudden noise stopped us both. The deafening sound of a centaur horn rang in my ears, too loud for my own ears that they tingled.

"Wow – " Molly covered her ear at the shrill sound. "What's happening?"

I snapped my head in the direction of where the sound had come from, and squinted my eyes when I saw unrecognizable figures stepping out of the treeline. Two of the silhouettes seemed to be carrying another, and I couldn't help but grow curious and walk down the steps of my cabin to get a better look.

"Is that – ?"

"Percy."

Two wood nymphs carried a green, visibly ill Percy out of the woods, and I couldn't help but wonder what he was doing there.

"Quick! Bring him into the infirmary."

Molly took the lead and grabbed Percy from the nymph's arms. I don't know what came over me – I've been in situations like these all the time – but this time I just froze. It took me a whole minute to snap me out of my scared daze and rush after Molly toward the infirmary. Chiron was immediately alarmed at the ruckus we were causing, and I saw his face harden when he saw Percy's state. We carefully placed him on a bed and I encouraged myself to brush my nerves away and focus on healing Percy's hand. Once the job was done, Molly bandaged his hand and went to call Annabeth.

Chiron stayed by the side of the bed, watching over Percy like a personal protector. He kept telling me I did a good job at healing and treating the poison, even though my hands were shaky throughout the entire process. Annabeth entered the room after a few minutes and claimed that Molly had to leave, so she offered to be of help. While I raised a nectar glass to Percy's lips to make him regain consciousness, Annabeth dabbed a wet cloth over his forehead.

After a few minutes, I saw him weakly open his eyes, "Here we are again."

"Not funny," I told him, trying to hide the fact that I was glad to hear his voice.

"You idiot," Annabeth spoke after me. "You were green and turning gray when they found you. If it weren't for Maia's and Chiron's healing. . ."

I had used my abilities to heal him, since the poison was too strong for any normal antidote. Since the use of my power had drained half my energy, Chiron stepped in midway of the process and offered to finish treating the injury.

"Now, now," Chiron's voice soothingly said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was sitting near the foot of the bed in human form, his lower half magically compacted into the wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale, like the days he had to endure another of the Hermes's cabin's pranks.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."

He told us his version of the story between sips of nectar. It began as a simple, secluded talk between two friends, him and Luke, in the middle of the forest. In Percy's exact words, Luke summoned the pit scorpion and confessed to being the one to steal the lightning bolt from Zeus and Hades's helm, the exact night we went to Olympus. Luke gave up his loyalty to the gods and his friends in exchange to serve the Titan Lord Kronos. At first, I had to say, it sounded like a big, unfunny joke. I hoped that everyone was going to jump up and yell it was another prank, but that never happened. I thought to myself, Luke wouldn't do that, but there was a part of my brain that nodded, saying, Yes, he would. I should've noticed he was distant, I should've noticed something was wrong. I cursed myself at my ignorance.

The room was quiet for a long time, and I saw Annabeth's eyes shift into saddened, gray irises. I could tell she was going through the same mindset right now, and I couldn't help but share a solemn glance with her.

"I can't believe that Luke. . ." Annabeth's voice faltered. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him. . .He was never the same after his quest."

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Luke is out there right now," Percy said. "I have to go after him."

Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods – "

"Won't even talk about Kronos," he snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"

"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."

"Chiron. . .your prophecy from the Oracle. . . it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Maia? Annabeth?"

I stared down at my hands, suddenly finding the floor interesting. I understood his frustration, I truly did, but these things were complicated.

Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place –"

"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"

     His eyes were sympathetic, but saddened. "You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you. . ."

     Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.

     "All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!" He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

     "We can't just sit back and do nothing."

     "We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

     "Assuming I live that long."

     Chiron placed a hand on his ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice. . .But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision."

     The look on his face said he wanted to know more, ask more questions, but Chiron wouldn't hear about it. Now that we knew for certain who was behind the theft and toying with the quest, things just got more serious. Everything I suspected as a mere hunch was real now, and I didn't want to admit out loud that it terrified me.

     "I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."

     He glanced at Annabeth. "Oh, and, my dear. . .whenever you're ready, they're here."

     "Who's here?" Percy asked.

     Nobody answered. Chiron rolled himself out of the room, the wheels of his chair clinking carefully down the front steps, two at a time. Annabeth set the damp rag back on the bedside table, studying it carefully.

     "What's wrong?" Percy sensed her discomfort.

     "Nothing." She set the glass on the table. I knew for sure it wasn't just nothing. "I. . . just took your advice about something. You. . .um. . .need anything?"

     "Yeah. Help me up. I want to go outside."

     I shook my head. "Nope, you're staying here. Doctor's orders."

     He scoffed in response and slid his legs off the bed. I let out a frustrating sigh, annoyed he couldn't follow a simple order. Annabeth was able to catch him before his knees gave up.

     "See what I mean?"

     "I'm fine," he insisted.

     He managed a step forward. He leaned half his weight on Annabeth to keep walking, and I had no choice but to follow after them. Argus, who had been leaning against the doorframe, followed us outside, but kept his distance. Percy's face was dripping in sweat by the time we reached the front porch. Luckily, and without him vomiting on the floor, he was able to make it all the way to the railing. It was dusk. The camp was completely deserted. The cabins were dark and there was no game in the volleyball pit. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.

     "What are you going to do?" Annabeth asked, her eyes set on Percy.

     "I don't know." He proceeded to tell us he thought Chiron wanted him to stay year-round and get better at training, but he didn't think that's what he wanted. He confessed he felt bad about leaving us behind with only Clarisse for company.

     Annabeth pursed her lips, then admitted quietly, "I'm going home for the year, Percy."

     He stared at her. "You mean, to your dad's?"

     She pointed towards the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's boundary, a family stood silhouetted – two little children, a woman and a tall man with blond hair; Annabeth's dad. He was holding a backpack that looked like the one Annabeth had got from Waterland in Denver.

     "I wrote him a letter when we got back," Annabeth confessed. "Just like you suggested. I told him. . .I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided. . .we'd give it another try."

     Annabeth had come to me when this happened, wanting a second opinion if it was a good idea. My advice for her was to do what she thought was right, and if she wasn't ready for the next step then she shouldn't push herself, but she sent the letter.

     "That took guts."

     She pursed her lips. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least. . . not without sending me an iris-message?"

     He smiled at her. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."

     "When I get back next summer," she continued, "The three of us, we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"

     "Sure thing."

     "Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena."

     She held out her hand and Percy shook it firmly.

     "Take care, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth told him. "Keep your eyes open."

     "You too, Wise Girl."

     She then faced me, and her gray eyes grew teary. My vision couldn't help but grow blurry too. This was going to be the first year we wouldn't be together, and as much as it hurt, this was good for her. I was immensely proud of her. I opened my arms and she walked into my embrace immediately, resting her chin on my shoulder.

     "Good luck, Annie," I mumbled for her to hear. "Love you."

     "Love you too."

     She pulled away from the hug and brushed the couple of tears that fell down her cheeks.  I watched her walk up the hill and join her family as my hands subconsciously went to toy with the owl charm in my bracelet. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. She touched Thalia's pine tree as a farewell, then allowed herself to be led over the crest and into the mortal world. For the first time since I arrived in camp, I wouldn't be accompanied by the people who helped me get here in the first place.

     "I'll be back next summer," Percy said out loud. "I'll survive until then."

     Oh, I thought to myself, but then I wondered, why shouldn't he leave? I guess I shouldn't even be surprised, and decided to put on a smile to show that I was happy for his decision. Suddenly the thought of only having Clarisse for company was becoming a little too real.

     "Nice," I forced myself to say. "I'll – we'll be waiting for you next summer."

     He liked the sound of that, and that annoying smile returned to his features. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back, Arrow Girl."

     "How can I, Kelp Head? You're taking all the stupid with you."