It's an odd feeling to have the sun rise below you. Being on a flying ship, I suppose I should have expected it, but still my mind was used to having certain things (like the sun) stay constant and explainable—even if my explanation would have most people doubting my sanity.

For example, most mortals would think I was crazy for feeling like Dawn was mocking me. But I couldn't help but feel that way as she rose bright and chipper this morning. Homer's rosy-fingered dawn in all her gods' forsaken glory. She wasn't the only one who thought I needed to lighten up. Piper had been in my ear incessantly since we set sail yesterday.

Wasn't I excited? In a few hours we'd be at the Camp Jupiter and I'd be back with Percy.

A part of me wanted her to shut up, because all of her prodding just made me more anxious. What if it wasn't that easy? What if Percy had found a Piper? But the rational part of me knew she was just trying to distract herself from her own dilemma. She didn't see what I saw. She was too wrapped up in the situation.

As we got closer to Mt. Tam, Piper was joined by others. Clarisse. Leo. And the Stoll brothers telling me not to let Percy get too carried away. Grover too. They were all waiting to see what I'd do. All of them should know by now, I'd do what I always do. Wait till I had some idea of what I was facing. Percy was the kelp-brained, impulsive one. My mother was goddess of wisdom and battle strategy—I didn't do impulsive…normally. And when I did, it was usually Seaweed Brain's fault.

"How much longer?" I asked, coming up behind Jason. He looked back at me from his place at the wheel.

"Not much. We might want to run up the white flag soon. I hope it's enough." His hands were tight on the wheel.

I understood some of his anxiety. He has more than enough to worry about without wondering if his former friends would shoot him out of the sky. I knew if things had been reversed, "Hey guys, check out the flying ship," would not be our first reaction (well, maybe with the Hephaestus kids). No. In a camp full of ADHD teens it would be shoot first, ask "Friend or foe" later.

"We'll be fine," I assured him. Because that was my job.

Lucky for us the flag worked. As the outer fringes of Camp Jupiter came into to view there were no arrows or other projectiles to dodge. Instead we were greeted by a flank of very hostile looking demigods.

Jason was our magic charm. So I let him do the talking.

Not that he got to do much. One look at his face and the situation transformed from possible chain gang to jubilant riot. One kid, he must have been a son of Herm—Mercury, sprinted ahead of us into the main camp yelling, "Sparky's back!" Leo about died laughing. Jason rolled his eyes, but happily greeted his old friends. I kept an eye on Piper, because, coward that I can be (mostly when it comes to a certain green-eyed son of Poseidon), I was afraid to look. Afraid of what I would see. Kids streamed towards us. Some coming out of tents. Others, sweating profusely and decked out in gladiator armor, came from the practice fields. They crowded around Jason, clapping him around the shoulder. Piper started to shrink back pulling Leo with her, but Jason's hand reached out and grabbed her wrist. He had that determined look in his eye. The same one Thalia gets when things are about to get zapped.

My nerves grew tenfold. I was going to be sick, I just knew it.

"Welcome back, Jason." It was an uncommonly pretty little brunette. The touch of eyeliner and mascara in a crowd where few girls seemed to have bothered, marked her as a daughter of Venus. She smiled. And I saw the me I had been last year. The me that had been so terrified of telling Percy how I really felt that she had almost lost him to Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

"Hey Reyna," Jason smiled back at her, giving her a one-armed hug. But he was looking elsewhere. Looking at me.

I was alone.

I had been so distracted by the girl that would probably never get to say what she really wanted to say that I had missed everyone as they ran off to surround a figure just far enough from Jason's crowd to keep from getting swallowed.

Gods. Percy.

He had his summer tan back. He'd cut off the sleeves of his t-shirt, showing arms that were far more muscular that when I'd last seen him. He'd really been working out. It was odd seeing him in purple instead of orange, but the reflection of the darker color did wonderful things with his eyes.

And he was confirming all of my fears.

Because if Percy had remembered me, there was no way he'd still be standing in that spot. Percy Jackson was not the stand and wait patiently for the girlfriend he hadn't seen in months type. He was the running, sweep you off your feet, "Gods, I've missed you," type.

Was his Piper standing in the crowd around Jason, greeting her long lost leader?

His eyes were boring into me as he awkwardly extricated himself from Thalia's running tackle-hug. I wondered what I'd done to draw his attention. My other friends were looking at me expectantly. I knew they were waiting for some grand reunion. Probably with a lot of kissing.

It wasn't coming.

Still unsure of exactly what I should do, I started over. Grover opened his mouth. Probably to say something I wouldn't like. Lucky for me, that was when Lupa showed up. So Grover didn't get to say whatever he was going to say and I didn't have to figure out how in Hades I was going to deal with this. Not yet at least.

"Welcome back, pup." The giant wolf didn't speak so much as we simply heard what she wanted us to hear. "I believe an explanation is in order."

A little something that I've been meaning to get up here for a while. And since SON comes out in...ah! It comes out tomorrow, officially! Anyways, I wanted to get this up and finished now so that I wouldn't be influenced too much by the book. Not that I can come anywhere near the awesomeness that Rick Riordan will bring on Tues.

And yes, I have read the spoiler chapter. You know that scene in Mockingjay, the one where Annie and Finnick are reunited? I'm kind of picturing a reunion scene kind of like that for Percabeth. Hopefully things don't get complicated too soon.

Anyways, this is mostly finished...on Annabeth's side. Cause that's how it came to me first (hint hint: RR, if you're reading this, I would love a real story from Annabeth's POV). However, once I'd finished I kind of started seeing things through Percy's eyes too. So it's not quite finished yet. Enjoy! And get yourself to a bookstore Tuesday and buy yourself a copy of Son of Neptune (and The Lost Hero if need be).