The sound of trickling water from the fountain in his cabin was the first thing Percy registered when he was waking up. The second thing was rays of light from Apollo's chariot, standing proudly as the sun on the heavens. Percy rubbed his face, as he got off the bed and walked to whatever clothes he had that was laying around. After a quick change, and a glance at a clock his half-brother Tyson had specially made for him for his most recent birthday, showing 09:30. A bit late to breakfast now, however seeing as the last couple of days he had not been able to sleep due to trying to balance his life as a demigod, and a normal teenager. He tried to sleep more at home, but that didn't always happen, thanks to either his baby sister keeping him awake one way or another, or him having recurring nightmares from the time he spent in Tartarus. Just thinking about that place gave him shudders, it wasn't as bad when he just got out. Back then PTSD was so bad, that he had nightmare daily, and just hearing the name, made him an unstable crying, but dangerous, shell of what he once was. Walking out of cabin 3, the cabin of Poseidon, he saw children and teenagers running about in the place he had calling home for the last 7 years. 7 tough years, from the day since he first arrived, dragging his unconscious half goat friend into the camp, with a minotaur horn. The horn he had just used to kill the beast it came from. That night was far from his favorites, it was the day his mother was kidnapped, he almost died, and he entered the demigod life. Well the way of a demigod has both good and bad sides, so it doesn't really count, however one good thing about the day was that Gabe's car was totally ruined thanks to that lightning bolt. He only wished that his uncle Zeus could have waited to him, Grover, and his mother was out of the car when the it was hit. Well nonetheless the past was the past, and he was walking into to the future with everyday that came, and with every day that comes more and more blue cookies is made for him to devour. Chuckling, he made his way to the dining pavilion to get himself a late breakfast, luckily Chiron understood Percy's sleeping schedules, and allowed late breakfasts for those who really needed them. Walking to the way to the pavilion, he encountered in the end the remains of the crack his cousin Nico summoned once, making a group of immortal skeleton warriors drop down never to be seen again, before he ran off. Siting with his table and eating his late, blue breakfast, he remembered all the people he had seen siting with the different tables, having dinner, enjoying life maybe getting claimed. Either to fight to continue living, or dying at a young age, never to sit with their table again. So many people having died through out the years Percy had been here, killed either by vengeful gods, hungering monsters, or any other reason on may die that has anything related to the Greco-Roman pantheon. Finishing up, he quickly made his way out, so he would not be bringing more sad memories up, he decided to take a walk around camp, seeing as his constructor role in battle training was still some time away. He walked past several of the new cabin that had been raised to house all the claimed demigod children, regardless of their parents being Olympians or not. Walking towards half-blood hill that was overlooking the valley camp was in, he remembered the time he gave up immortality to have all demigods be claimed, so no one was going to feel unwanted or unimportant to their godly parent. Walking up the hill he noticed Rachel's cave in the distance, seeing her carrying several new buckets of paint inside. Smiling, while thinking about at the hobby the host of the oracle of Delphi, he continued his trek towards Thalia's tree where the golden fleece was hanging, protecting the camp with its powers holding up the protective barrier that held monster and other forces away. Getting closer he saw Peleus the dragon, sleeping while making smoke rings through his nose at the same time. Not wanting to get to become a fried fish, he held his distance, gazing over camp. The first ting his eyes landed on, was the Athena Parthenos in all its glory, reminding him of the goddess it was built for, but more of a certain daughter to said goddess. Annabeth was to arrive sometime that day and he couldn't wait. The next thing was the hundreds of cabins spread around, the great house, the pavilion and the amphitheater, the arena and lava wall. And his two favorite spots, the canoe lake, and the beach with the long Island sound, both of which that seemed to never dry him out. Yes, this was the place he called home, and the people living here where the ones he cared about, and he fight time and time to keep this place safe, something he had done a lot of the last couple of years. Despite everyone that had died, heroes such as Jason, Luke and Zoe, he always tried to fight on the keep those he love safe. Keep fighting, and helping the younger ones was one of the things he was most engaged in, for he wanted to attempt as few burial pyres as possible, he had seen enough of those, even his own at one point. Just standing here and thinking over all that live, and all that died, makes him wonder how his story end. Will the fates end him as well, or will they keep haunting his life, by clipping the people's string one by one of the people surrounding him, until he got old and wrinkly? Neither was a pleasant thought, but that was the life of the demigod, depressing, usually short and painful, but nonetheless filled with all the joy one allows oneself to have while one has the opportunity. The sound of a car door close brought him out of his stupor, after turning around, he was met with the sight of his girlfriend Annabeth stepping out of a taxi with her bag, smiling brightly with her grey eyes when she saw him. Yes, if he had his wise girl with him, either besides him or in his heart, he would go to whatever depths it was needed. To protect her, camp and everyone that lived here, the place where his fate was tied to, that was his greatest quest. His eternal quest as a demigod, the choice he took, and would take over and over again, as long as it was needed, until his own string was at last cut.
He was Percy Jackson the greatest demigod of this time, loyalty at fault, and one that despite pain, loss and his own darkness, he would always return to the needing demigod, camp and the people he cared about. Someone that is still walking the path of the demigod.