Inspired by the line from The Last Olympian: "They [Grover and Juniper] went down to the beach to take a moonlit walk, and I was happy for them, though the scene reminded me of Silena and Beckendorf, which made me sad."
Choosing the songs to sing at campfires after dinner was a stressful thing to do. Not only did you have to worry about the Apollo kids knowing the song, you also had to worry about everyone else liking the song. And from the cute, giggling nymphs to the tough, war-obsessed Ares kids, it was hard to find songs that everyone liked.
When it was Aphrodite's cabin's turn to choose the songs, Lacy looked around. "Where's Silena?" she called. "Let her choose!"
"Aye, there they are!" Travis called, pointing toward the beach. "She's with Beckendorf!"
Everyone grinned knowingly. Silena and Beckendorf had been dating for over a year now, and all the campers (including Chiron and Mr. D, surprisingly) were happy for them. New rules were established when they began dating (No two campers alone in a cabin; curfew of ten o'clock; no dates allowed in the mortal world) but Silena and Beckendorf had found ways around all those rules.
"Silena Beauregard!" Lacy called, giggling. "We need you to pick a song!"
Silena turned toward the campfire. She looked at Beckendorf, smiling.
"What song should they play, Charlie?" she asked, laughing. "I bet Will would totally love it if I chose some sappy romance song."
Beckendorf laughed in agreement. He cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted back, "Play some Taylor Swift, Solace!"
"You got it, Beckendorf," Will called back in his country accent. He picked up his guitar and nodded at his sisters, who were discussing what song to sing. "Play something nice for them. They deserve it."
I remember how it felt sitting by the water / You put your arm around me for the first time / You fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter / You are the best thing that's ever been mine
Most of the guys—specifically, Beckendorf's brothers—groaned jokingly, but sat through the song nonetheless. The Aphrodite girls whispered excitedly as they saw different couples wrap their arms around each other during the song (Clarisse and Chriss, Percy and Annabeth, Travis and Katie.) But everyone's main focus of attention was on Silena and Beckendorf, who were laughing at the beach, splashing each other and running around.
"You know what would be great," Clarisse said suddenly, and Chris groaned. She gave Percy a knowing look. "You can control water all the way up here, can't you?"
Percy grinned as Annabeth shook her head. "I can." He turned toward the beach, where Beckendorf and Silena were holding hands and staring out at the water. Suddenly, a huge wave appeared from the calm lake, dousing Beckendorf and Silena from head to toe.
Everyone at the campfire whooped and laughed as Silena screamed and Beckendorf shouted a threat at Percy. Travis pulled Katie to her feet and the two of them ran down toward the beach to meet the head counselors of Cabins Nine and Ten.
"Bring the music down there, Will," Lacy said gleefully as she and her sisters gathered up their purses and headed toward the beach. "Party on the beach, everyone!"
Annabeth was shaking her head, laughing, while Percy pulled her toward the beach. "See what you started?"
"This is why people love me," Percy replied earnestly. "That, and I have saved the world a couple times."
"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."
In two minutes, Will and his siblings were playing songs requested by the Hermes cabin, the Aphrodite girls had set up lanterns in the sand, and Percy had promised (with his fingers crossed behind his back) to keep the water calm for the rest of the night.
Silena leaned into Beckendorf. "I wish this would happen every night," she told him. "Everyone's in such a good mood."
"Yeah," Beckendorf agreed. "It's like there's no upcoming war at all. Just parties at Camp Half-Blood, the only save haven in America for demigods." The two of them laughed and linked hands, relishing the moment.
Three years and another upcoming war later, there's another party on the same beach. This time, people were bugging Will about music other than Neil Diamond, it was a little too dark to see very well, and the water was depressingly calm. Some campers asked Percy to splash their friends, but he wasn't up for it.
Piper leaned into Jason. "This is really nice. Everyone getting along," she told him. "I bet there hasn't been a party like this since Mr. D started working here." She wondered how many years Mr. D had been working at Camp Half-Blood.
"Yeah," Jason agreed. "It almost makes me forget this upcoming war." He wrapped his arm around her tightly.
"Hey, Will," Leo called out from where he had been talking with Percy, who was refusing to douse Nyssa. "Change the tunes, man! Let your sisters pick this time!"
"Alright, alright," Will laughed into his microphone. His voice echoed across the beach. "Here's a song for a little throwback." He nodded at his sisters, and they began to strum their guitars.
I remember how it felt sitting by the water / You put your arm around me for the first time / You fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter / You are the best thing that's ever been mine
Piper frowned in confusion as older campers suddenly became quiet. They all stared out onto the water, and when the song ended, no one spoke.
It was Clarisse la Rue, the (slightly terrifying) daughter of Ares, who broke the silence. "To the heroes we've lost," she said. Although she wasn't speaking in a microphone, everyone could hear her.
Everyone held up their drinks in agreement. "To the heroes we've lost."