SPARK

The Story of a Girl's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" Dream

Chapter one: The Return

With these guys, it was always one adventure after the other.

That's pretty much all we did after Daddy D--that's what I like to call my father Dionysus, who is also known as the God of Wine and director of Camp Half-Blood--allowed me and my selected friends to take a break from the Camp for two weeks over the summer. It surprised me that he was being lenient about this, because he'd never usually allow his children, or any camper for that matter, to leave unless they are sent on a quest, or must go back to school. But I guess this freedom was a quest in itself; something to test whether or not we can make the right decisions and take full responsibility for them. Our trips were only limited to the island, of course. Taking off to another state would not please father, and besides, who knows what Zeus can do to his brother's children if they ever opted for a plane ride?

In this group, I was pretty much the odd one out, in the sense that I had no relatives amongst us because my brothers Pollux and Castor were back at the Camp, never leaving Daddy D's side. Here, we had Maia and Thalia, Zeus' daughters who were just as feisty and confident as their father. We also had Pia and Annabeth, daughters of Athena, the most logical and cool-headed ones in our team. Then we had Ynez and Percy, Poseidon's children, whose bravery and loyalty were unquestionable. Finally, we had Nico and Bianca, Hades' children, who, though naughty at times, are actually very nice kids. Grover wasn't a product of a certain God or Goddess, but he was still great company and an even better friend, so of course we brought him along.

Over the course of these weeks, we roamed around the rest of Long Island, enjoying the view of the lake most especially, and occasionally receiving swimming lessons or a playful splash from Percy, and sometimes even Ynez. Using some of the money we saved up all in all, we also managed to ride a boat across the waters and get dropped off at Manhattan, where we explored the streets and the various shops that lay scattered around the whole city. It's been so long since I've last stepped foot on these roads, and I honestly did miss it. You have to admit, New York was quite the fun place to be; it was upbeat, and the place was always full of hustle and bustle that it really is deserving of the title of "The City That Doesn't Sleep".

Finally, we grew weary of our stay in the city and decided to make our way back to where the Camp was, across the vast lake of New York. But it was not until we returned to Long Island that we encountered the true trouble that has been lurking in the shadows all this time.


**********

That's when I saw Luke again. It's been months, maybe even more than a year, since he betrayed all of us and defected from Olympus' guidance. How different would things have been if he hadn't chosen to go over to Kronos? I still ponder on this, and I also wonder if he still holds our memories close to his heart. To be honest, I've known him way before he met Thalia and Annabeth. I've got the right to say that our relationship was much stronger than theirs ever was. I mean, I know it's wrong, but I can't help it; he was so important to me that it's difficult to just let him go.

All he did was send these monsters out to us, while he watched comfortably from another platform around the pre-set arena.

"I always knew he was a coward," said Percy as he readied himself and Riptide for the upcoming onslaught.

One by one, we took these monsters down. They were definitely from the Underworld, some even from the very depths of Tartarus, perhaps, but they were not sent by Hades. He had no plans of causing destruction to the world, not at all. Who else it could be but the Titan King Kronos' work at hands?

Pia, Ynez, Grover and Annabeth made up our defense team, while me, Maia, Percy and Thalia charged head on. Bianca and Nico were pretty combat-ready, too, using their abilities to raise the dead to help us defeat these things. The battle seemed to have dragged on forever; by the time it finished, we were exhausted and slightly wounded. It was only then that Luke came out to face us, holding up his arms as if surrendering.

"That was quite a show you put on." The self-righteous tone of his voice displeased me, and my expression twisted into that of annoyance and distaste. "Maybe next time, I'd be honored enough to take part in it."

Percy stepped forward, threatening to attack, but Maia gripped his arm and shook her head, signaling that it would be a bad idea. Luke merely smirked, that same smug expression on his face whenever he'd feel so full of himself. I hated that look, but only because it always caused those butterflies in my stomach to fly so wildly, like they wanted to be set free.

"Well, I don't think I have any business left here. My lord has given me no further orders, other than to make sure that this attack gets accomplished. I guess I'll be seeing you all at the ball."

Suddenly, I could feel that everyone's expressions were the same. We all had a confused look on our faces.

"What ball?" We all asked in unison.

Laughter was the first thing we got in response. "Don't tell me that your little camp doesn't update their half-bloods with the latest events anymore. I'm talking about the Camaraderie Ball. It's when the good guys--" He sarcastically gestured to our group. "--and the bad guys get together. Of course, there'll be no hard feelings at all." He was smiling again, but this time, I could see that his gaze was directed at me. Luckily enough, I quickly managed to revert my pained expression back to my frown.

"That's a pretty stupid excuse you've put together there."

Percy clicked his tongue angrily, once again taking Riptide out of his pocket and attempting to charge straight at the blonde boy. Luke muttered something to him, but I was far too lost in my own thoughts to even notice what he said. For all I know, it was enough to pacify Percy's intent to fight, as he backed down and rejoined our group in the middle of the arena.

With all that said, Luke didn't feel the need to say any more goodbyes, and so, by slicing the air with his sword, he simply disappeared from the place, as if he was never there. Everyone suddenly began talking, some dabbing at the blood from the wounds they had taken from the battle, but once they saw me, they asked if I was alright. I quickly nodded my head, not even aware that I was zoning out again. But whatever this ball he was talking about could be the last chance I have to see him, maybe even to spend time with him. I don't know, I'd rather not think about it right now. I coughed, and pointed to a winding road up ahead.

"Come on, let's get back to Half-Blood Hill."