hey there world. Finished BoO yesterday (after waiting a week to get it) and it got me so emotionally worked up. Over what? Percy didn't get to have a happy reunion with his friends from PJO. So I'm here to fix that
Friendship Runs Deep
Percy needed to make his rounds.
He had already met up with Rachel, Tyson, and the harpy Ella. They were all on their way west toward Camp Jupiter to help piece together the prophecy of the Syballine Books.
It had been almost a train wreck of a goodbye, mainly because Percy had been tripping over his words most of the time. He was going to miss his lovable brother, and things weren't going to be the same for the rest of the summer without Rachel around.
"Don't start now, Jackson!" Rachel said with a grin, punching Percy on the shoulder lightly. "It's only a few more weeks of summer anyway. Then after you and Annabeth finish up high school, you'll be able to visit me whenever in New Rome."
Then she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug, then hurried off to catch up with Michael Kahale.
She was right though. Another school year and they'd get to hangout again. He couldn't wait to show Rachel and Annabeth the sweet little coffee places New Rome had. He'd never look down on a scone again.
Percy stepped out of his cabin, finding camp about as normal as it could've been after a fight with Gaea. He immediately spotted Annabeth and Piper chatting and exchanging hugs with a girl that had unruly black hair.
He smiled to himself, promising to meet up with Thalia later.
Percy made his way in the subtle direction of the woods, stopping once every two-and-half minutes to chat it up with some old friends.
Connor explained about a prank the Hermes and Hecate canine pulled off and how they even snagged some Roman gear for the camp store before Chiron busted them.
Katie tried for an intellectual conversation with Percy, asking how he'd been since Hera abducted him and how the Ancient Lands were, but Travis kept messing with her until she had to smack him.
Nyssa told him how brave he had been, fighting alongside Annabeth just like in the Battle at Manhattan, then she burst into tears when she thought about Leo and Beckendorf dying for the cause.
Thalia eventually caught up to him, and she recounted the events that happened in San Juan with Orion, Reyna, the Hunters, and the Amazons. Percy whistled, impressed about their bravery before she added in how quickly Reyna had been able to subdue her.
He eventually passed by the volleyball pit where the Apollo kids were playing a morning game against the satyrs. Nico and Will Solace were on the same team. Percy made a salute to the two (but the diversion ended with Will getting a volleyball to the face.)
When Malcolm marched up to him with his arms crossed, Percy wasn't sure if he was supposed to be intimidated after fighting the Earth mother for the past year. Then the Athenian boy asked what Percy had been doing with his sister in a horse stable so late at night, and Percy made a run for it.
His brief encounter with Clarisse was about as smooth as it could possibly get with a daughter of Ares. Percy was finally taller than her (it's about time) and she looked alot older than just twenty. Needless to say, she still had an iron grip, and when she had gotten Percy in a headlock for a good natured noogie, there was no escape.
After wandering their perimeter of the woods, Percy headed back toward the Big House in hopes he'd see his friend there. He stumbled upon Mrs O'Leary, his sweetheart of a hellhound. She licked his face, forcing Percy to sigh with nostalgia.
Mrs O'Leary trotted alongside him faithfully until he reached the Big House. It was still blue with a wraparound porch, but leaning against the railing was just the person Percy wanted to see most (aside from his mom and Paul.)
Grover had grown since he'd been gone, appearing to have matured into a college age student. His goatee was trimmed short and he didn't bother hiding his three-inch long horns under a hat. His furry hindquarters were as shaggy as Percy remembered.
"G-Man!" Percy broke out into a grin, then jogged up to his friend.
Grover smiled, his hooves clicking against the wood as he hurried down the steps. "Per-cy!"
The bleated cry brought back memories of finding a fighting Medusa, finding a Lightning Bolt, battling a sea of monsters, destroying a Nemean lion, an attack on a Titan (Atlas), finding a way through the Labyrinth, putting a stop to Kronos.
The memories struck Percy like a tidal wave that he just wanted to drown in. A son of Poseidon, drowning in memories...
Grover pounced on Percy, enveloping him in the biggest goat hug imaginable. "I'd been searching for you for months! I had the nymphs and nature spirits on high alert! I was so worried-!"
"I missed you too, Grover!" Percy hugged him back, willing himself not to cry. He'd endured too much to break down now. He pulled away slightly so the two friends were staring at each other. "You're the Red Baron, dude. Remember? I knew you'd never give up hope for me."
Grover looked so touched, Percy was afraid he'd start eating the sleeve of his shirt, but the satyr didn't look so compulsive to eat now. "Oh, gods, Percy. Tyson and I were so close! Then you went on a quest for New Rome!"
Percy shrugged, his face busting into a wide grin. "Sorry, bro. Duty called."
"You always duties. And big duties at that!" Grover seemed clearly aware of what he said. He probably said it for laughs, even.
Percy laughed, clapping Grover on the back. He missed the summers when he was a kid and the most dangerous thing he'd ever done so far was kiss Annabeth. "I have missed you so much, buddy."
Grover was about half an inch short, but he still looped his arm around Percy's shoulder as they watched the campers milling around. After they'd stood in silence for a good ten minutes, Grover pointed toward a girl with a mass of curly blonde hair walking toward them. "Here comes Annie."
Percy tried not to let his jaw drop as Annabeth walked up. She was back in her plain old orange CHB campshirt, her beaded necklace hanging down by her collar bone. Her blonde hair was a tangled mess and her stormy eyes looked as fierce as the first day Percy met her.
And she had never looked so beautiful.
"Hey, guys." Annabeth shinnied between the two boys until they were almost in a half hug with Annabeth in the middle.
"Hey Wise Girl." Percy greeted, kissing the top of her head.
"It's about time that you'd come say hi to me!" Grover complained. It ended up being a bad idea because Annabeth tightened her grip on him. "Okay, you just turned a nice hug into choker hold, Annabeth."
"Sorry." Annabeth laughed.
Percy's heart swelled when he heard her laugh. It wasn't until now that he realized just how few times he had heard Annabeth laugh on the Argo II.
The three stood in silence again, holding onto each other as if their lives depended on it. And in retrospect, they did. Each of them had gone through horrifying risks for the others, in hopes that the other two would survive.
It was already getting dark when Percy had found Grover, but now it was even darker. Campers were gathering at the campfire for the sing along.
"Hey guys," Grover whispered into the dark. He really didn't need to whisper- no one was around. But it felt like if he spoke to loud, he'd destroy their moment of peaceful contentment.
"Yeah?" Annabeth whispered, curls catching the wavering firefight even from several yards away.
"This is where it all began you know."
It took Percy a minute before he realized what he meant. "The quest for Zeus' lightning bolt was given to me right here, in front of the Big House."
"Of course there was a table here for pinochle back then." Annabeth pointed out, with a grin.
"That's kinda irrelevant right now." Percy rolled his but smiled.
"And Annabeth and I agreed to come along with you." Grover chuckled to himself. "Even if we both kinda had alternate motivations."
"Seaweed Brain here had ulterior motives too, remember?" Annabeth smiled leaning her head against Percy's shoulder.
"The Orginal Trio," Percy mused, ignoring the last comment from his ever supportive girlfriend. "I guess the world has us to blame for all the trouble going on during the past five years, huh?"
"Blame you, maybe." Grover suggested with a cheesy grin. "After all, you're the child of the first prophecy."
"It's not my fault Rachel spouted out the new prophecy so soon! Besides it was more about Jason than me, anyway."
Grover clicked his tongue and shook his head somberly in a joking way. "Now you go and blame the Oracle and a bunch of Romans?"
Percy withheld a grin just dying to let go. "I'll have you know, I love the Romans."
"Apparently, if you're blaming Jason."
"I'm not blaming Jason."
"Kinda sounds like it."
"When did you get so stubborn?"
"You miss alot when you've been abducted by crazy marriage goddesses for six months."
"You've got a point there."
"Guys?" Annabeth interrupted the two boys' banter, her grey eyes locked on the night sky. "Can you both shut up?"
"We're reminiscing." Percy defended himself and Grover
Annabeth stared up at the son of Poseidon with her eyebrows raised like you wanna go? "Seaweed Brain, you two are reminiscing loud enough for the whole camp to listen in on."
Percy and Grover shared a look, then exploded into laughter.
Annabeth sighed deeply and contentedly, hugging both boys around the waist with her eyes closed. She'd been feeling nostalgic since they'd defeated Gaea, just wanting things to go back to normal for the most part.
But maybe normal wasn't what the Fates had intended for them.
Yay! I'm done!
But seriously...I feel super nostalgic for the original series again. I miss Percy's POV and the original campers being in there more and the war counsel around the ping-pong table and Rachel with her hairbrush and Luke.
Okay, I'm gonna go reread them books to bide my time.
~pinkfangurl
EDIT: yeah, within the few hours I posted this, I remembered about what Annabeth said about the uncle and cousin and then some lovely reviewers confirmed it for me. So, thank you for that! Please review on the one shot though still!