Mark of Athena spoilers, first and final warning.

Here's a short ficlet about Percy's return to Camp Half-Blood. Enjoy!

What the Water Gave Me

As soon as Percy stepped into Cabin Three, he knew he was home.

Of course, arriving back at Camp Half-Blood a few hours earlier had really brought him back to his old life. When the Seven had arrived at Camp Half-Blood, the campers had greeted them as the returning heroes that they were, bestowing them with applause, laurel wreaths and a huge feast. The campers had greeted the Romans, Frank and Hazel, with open arms, and had welcomed back Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Piper, Jason, Coach Hedge and Nico, thankful that they were alive and relatively unharmed.

None of the campers had seen Percy in eight months, and when he had walked over the crest of Half-Blood Hill, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, of all people, had taken him into a bear hug with tears practically forming in her eyes. She and a few other campers had hoisted Percy onto their shoulders, screaming in happiness that the long lost son of Poseidon was finally safe at camp.

Percy thought he had never been happier in his entire life during those first few hours back at Camp Half-Blood. But stepping through the threshold of Cabin Three, with the scent of the ocean greeting him like an old friend, really made him realize that he was finally home.

He stood on the threshold, first taking in the feeling of the strong ocean breeze flowing across his skin. He stepped further into the room, breathing in the sea's scent, and his gaze fell on the fountain in the back of the cabin, a gift from his father Poseidon. The water, coming from the spout with the head of a fish, gushed into the surrounding pool. The bunks were all empty; his half-brother Tyson had departed for their father's court at the bottom of the sea a few days earlier, and Percy's bunk hadn't been occupied for months. He slowly walked up to his old bunk, and noticed his clothes were still below the mattress, messily laid out the way Percy had left them eight months ago. He glanced over the pictures pasted on the wall, smiling as years-old memories came back to him. The Minotaur horn hung on the wall beside his bunk, and Percy reached out to touch it. It was cold, and when he pulled his hand back, a fine layer of dust lay on his finger.

Percy circled around the low-ceilinged room, looking up at the bronze miniature Hippocampi decorations on the ceiling, taking in the smell of sea salt and just the sheer emptiness of the place. Percy walked over to one of the windowsills, where vases filled with sea anemones and glowing plants lay. The vases were gathering dust too, and Percy was almost surprised that Tyson hadn't kept the cabin clean. But then he remembered what this camp had been through the past month, an excruciating attack from the Roman camp, and he knew his brother had more important things on his mind. Percy also figured Tyson wouldn't want to fully inhabit this room while its only other occupant had been missing for months.

Percy breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of the warm, calm sea breeze. He gazed out the window, which was facing the Long Island Sound. A grin came to his face as he looked out at this view, this small piece of the ocean that he hadn't seen for a long time. Despite the newfound fear of suffocation, in land or water, he had gotten while on his quest in Alaska, Percy couldn't deny that the ocean was a part of him, his being, his soul, and that there was no escaping from the pull of the sea.

"Percy?"

He turned, broken out of his reverie. Percy didn't know how long he had been in his cabin staring out at the Sound, but he realized that the sun was already setting, his first day back at Camp Half-Blood beginning to end. The Sound was colored red, orange and pink, and the sun looked to be sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean's depths.

Annabeth walked tentatively into his cabin and gazed about the room, taking in its dusty emptiness. She breathed deeply, as if letting the sea breeze deep into her body. She turned her gaze from the room into Percy's eyes.

"Chiron wants to speak with us." She walked further into the room, closer to the window. Annabeth looked out at the sunset and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

She turned to him. "Are you okay, Percy?" she asked.

A smile slowly spread across his face. Being back in his cabin had made him realize that he was finally home for good. He was home, after his long hibernation, his stay in Camp Jupiter, the quest to Alaska, and the quest in Rome to rescue Nico. He was home after his horrible month in Tartarus, his only consolation and reason to stay alive being Annabeth. Home again, after the Battle for the Doors of Death, and the final battle against the giants. He was finally, truly home. The battles and quests were over, and he could finally live the rest of his life in peace.

"I'm okay. I'm home."

So who's just about ready to crawl in a hole and die waiting for The House of Hades? I know I am. *cries*