So, this is my take on the 4th of July at camp jupiter. I dont own anything.
Frank had never celebrated the Fourth of July in his whole lifetime.
"It's a silly tradition for silly Americans. We're Canadian, Fai. " Grandmother had told him when he was seven.
"I thought we were Chinese," But Frank let it go and went on with his day, ignoring the patriotism of everyone in their bordered continent. He had never given it a second thought.
So when he finally got to celebrate it, it was pretty much one of the best days of his life.
It started off as a normal day at camp. He woke up, got dressed, and made his way to breakfast. The Greeks, as they did every Wednesday, were eating with the Romans. Everyone that was supposed to go to Greece and Rome wouldn't leave until the twenty-second, so they took this time to get to know each other more. Frank couldn't tell what it was, but something was different.
When he sat down next to his girlfriend, Hazel, he was very confused about everything that was going on around him. Everybody was wearing red, white, or blue and they were more awake than they usually are in the morning. Even Hazel seemed happier. That made him feel even more out of place.
She pecked him on the cheek. "Morning! Beautiful day, isn't it?"
"Umm… yeah, I guess," Frank looked at her in confusion. "Are you alright?"
Hazel laughed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine, but are you? You've been here two minutes and there still isn't anything on your plate!"
Frank scowled at her but she just laughed and squeezed his hand.
He looked around as he poured syrup on to his pancakes. The whole gang was there- Percy and Annabeth, who seemed to be laughing at something Leo had done, Jason and Piper who still hadn't learned to keep their hands to themselves (or their lips for that matter), and even Dakota and Reyna were content, wrapped in their own conversation. But Frank couldn't understand why everyone was so happy.
"What's going on with everybody today?" he said aloud to nobody in general, but the whole table turned to look at him, even Jason and Piper who were previously consumed in a passionate, yet still disgusting, lip-lock.
Everyone gave him a weird look, even Hazel, but Percy just laughed.
"Don't freak out Canada, it's just the Fourth of July."
"Yeah, so?" Frank didn't really understand the whole concept. In Canada, it was just another day.
Jason and Leo gave loud gasps and Reyna and Dakota gaped at him.
Annabeth rolled her eyes (Frank couldn't tell if it was pointed towards him or the rest of the table). "Well, here in America (definitely towards him), we celebrate the Fourth of July because on July 4, 1776 our forefathers-"
"Declared independence from Great Britain," Percy finished. "We didn't need you to go into a whole lecture, Annabeth."
Frank finally understood… kind of. He looked down at his breakfast. His pancakes were red and blue with white star sprinkles on the top of them, his cup was decorated like the American flag, the whole dining hall was decorated very patriotically, they even had Hannibal dressed in red, white, and blue armor!
"We'll teach you how to celebrate the American way, Canada. You just wait! It's loads of fun!" Reyna said with a grin. It was one of the first smiles she had ever given Frank. Even she was in a good mood. She was wearing an American flag shirt with red, white, and blue high tops and faded jeans. It seemed everybody was patriotic today.
"I, personally, think that think that this is the day that our camps officially bond. Both of us seem to take this day very seriously, so I think that tonight will be pretty special," Hazel said. "Everyone's going to enjoy it."
"Enjoy what?" Frank asked.
"The fireworks show- an American tradition. Don't worry you'll get the hang of this soon." She told him with a smile.
I hope so, he thought.
The day went by rather fast. Since today was a special day, Reyna announced that all acivities would be free choice, mentioning something about freedom and how that's one thing that this country has. Frank wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy staring at the camp flag, which had the American flag flying proudly above it.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Hazel asked him. They tend to spend as much time together as possible, since his duties as Centurion tend to get in the way of their quality time together.
"You can teach me all about this tradition everyone's talking about?" he asked her.
Hazels face lit up. "Of course! Come on, let's go walk around and I'll tell you all about it."
As they walked around camp and into town, ignoring the catcalls and whistling as they held hands, Hazel told him all about how patriotic camp is on this day.
"Everyone loves it," she told him. "They may get a little out of control, but it's always super fun."
She told him about what the Fourth of July was like in the forties and Frank couldn't help but be impressed. She told him about the fireworks and the big town feast that they would have, and she explained that it was very similar to the tradition at Camp Jupiter. She spent the whole day talking about it, but Frank didn't mind. He liked listening to her.
"I wasn't here for it last year, but Jason told me all about it when we first met. Today is always a free day, and the campers basically do whatever they want." They sat down on a bench near the coffee shop, sipping their 'Freedom Chocolate'. "They wear the flag colors, run around yelling about freedom, and some even get together to reenact the signing of the Declaration of Independence."
Frank was amazed and he didn't even know why. "That all sounds super- Woah!"
He pulled Hazel down as Jason flew over them.
"U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!" he chanted in the air. He was dressed in a giant eagle costume, his face painted white with blue and red stripes.
All of town cheered and Percy ran up to Jason and high fived him as he landed.
"FREEDOM! FREEDOM! FREEDOM!" they yelled together, and they ran through the city with a large American flag trailing behind them, all of the townsfolk cheering them on.
Frank was shocked, but Hazel just laughed. "This is one of the only days they won't butt heads. I wish it would last forever." She sighed and Frank put his arm around her. He kissed the top of her head and she looked up at him grinning. "Let's head back. After dinnner, the real fun begins."
Hazel and Frank hadn't realized that the day went by so fast. On their way back from the city they saw Leo, Bobby, the Stoll brothers, and Hank running around shirtless painted red, white, and blue yelling "AMERICA!" as everyone chanted with them. Frank couldn't help but cheer alongside everybody else. They all seemed so happy, as though they forgot their hatred they had for each other sometimes.
They met up with the Piper, Reyna, and Annabeth, who had decided to get their faces painted. Hazel insisted that he go with them, but he declined, telling her to have fun. She was persistent, but she finally gave in. Giving him a quick kiss, she left with the girls.
Frank continued to walk around camp, trying to pass time until dinner. He finally met up with Jason, Leo and Percy, who had looked a little tired, but still beamed with energy and patriotism.
"So, Canada, did Hazel teach you everything to know about America?" Percy asked him.
Frank rolled his eyes at his new nickname. "Yeah, she did. It was actually a lot of fun,"
Jason yawned and clapped him on the back. "Good, now let's head over to the Field of Mars. Dinner's a huge barbeque and right after that are the fireworks."
The boys walked the Field of Mars, joking around and teasing Frank about what Canadians celebrate.
"What do you guys celebrate?" Jason asked.
"Being so close to AMERICA!" Percy yelled. He and Leo high fived and tied a flag around Frank's neck. He laughed as Jason went behind him, flapping the flag like a cape. When they finally got to the Field of Mars, the barbeque had already started, and the girls saved them seats.
"I got your food," Annabeth told Percy as he sat down next to her, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Double cheeseburger with mustard and ketchup, fries on the side."
"Thanks," he said giving her a kiss. She threw a fry at him but he caught it in his mouth and the whole group laughed.
"Hey lovebirds, we're trying to eat here!" Reyna said. Annabeth blushed, but Percy just put his arm around her.
Hazel held out an American flag plate to Frank. "I got yours for you too. I didn't know what you wanted on it but I knew not to put any cheese." Her face was painted a lot like Leo's body and it brought out the gold of her eyes.
He smiled at her. "Thanks,"
The whole group went on talking about what they had seen that day. Body art, large paintings of Declaration of Independence, and so on. They laughed and poked fun at each other until Hazel clapped her hands together.
"The fireworks are starting!" she grabbed Frank's hand and snuggled close to him. It was a beautiful night. The air was cool, the stars were out and it was like the gods had made this day perfect just for them.
The fireworks were nothing like Frank had ever seen before. Unlike regular fireworks, the Vulcan/Hephaestus kids made these spectacular. They showed the Declaration of Independence getting signed and Paul Revere riding on his horse. They even showed the American flag getting strung up. They went on for what seemed like hours, but Frank was content. Percy had his head in Annabeth's lap and she stroked his hair as they gazed at each other, smiling, as Annabeth bent her head down to kiss Percy. Jason and Piper were holding hands, Jason pointing out his favorite scenes as Piper smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. Even Reyna and Leo seemed to be enjoying each other's company. Leo was making corny jokes and Reyna couldn't help but laughed along with him.
Watching all of his friends having a good time, Frank couldn't help but grin. All of the stress seemed to weigh off of him, as though the gods were blessing all of them. Greeks and Romans alike were getting along quite well. He looked down at Hazel, whose eyes were wide with excitement as she stared at the beauty of the lights that seemed to rain down upon them. Frank hated to interrupt her, but he couldn't help himself as he tilted her head up and kissed her softly. He felt her smile as she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
The final scene was the best of them all. It was the seven demigods of the prophecy, fighting side by side to defeat Gaia and close the Doors of Death. When the firework exploded into colorful sparks, all the campers stood and cheered, hugging and high fiving each other.
"This was the best Independence Day ever," Hazel said.
And it really was.
Thats it! Review and tell me your thoughts!