IT WAS GOOD TO BE BACK at Camp Jupiter.
After Jason had had his memory back completely, he'd wanted to come back home- well, his real home, anyway. Camp Half-Blood was still his home, but not his real one. It was kind of complicated once Jason thought about it for a long time.
Jason was glad that the Argo II had gotten to leave two days late, instead of three.
The boat was magnificent, thanks to the Hephaestus cabin; but most importantly, Leo, his best friend.
It had been obvious that Leo had experienced sleepless nights, stressful days, and anxiety attacks. He'd miss breakfast- or even a few activities. He'd suddenly explode into flames in Bunker Nine and melt some metal on accident, or his eyes would be wide and he'd be shaking as he walked into the amphitheater for the sing-alongs.
After months of working hard, finally- finally- the Argo II was complete with the finishing touch of adding Festus' head as the masthead.
Then the fizz-something-or-others had gotten busted, and the voyage had been set back for two days so the Hephaestus cabin could get them replaced.
Finally two days after the summer solstice, the boat had set sail towards the Panama Canal, and for Camp Jupiter.
Jason, Piper, Leo and Annabeth had plenty of things to do besides coming up with strategies and ways to explain the whole "Juno-switched-Jason-and-Percy-so-the-Greeks-and-Romans-could-unite-to-stop-Gaea" situation. Just for kicks, the Hephaestus cabin installed a plasma TV, a Wii, a huge pool that had glass so you could see the sea or the sky below. So, they'd play the Wii until their energy was drained, swim for hours to see that their skin was like a big huge raisin, and eat Leo's tacos in the decked-out kitchen until they were about to barf.
Then after about a day and a half of sailing, Jason announced that they were about an hour away from Camp Jupiter. Leo sent a video explaining not to fire at them an hour before they'd arrive.
That's when Annabeth started to nearly hyperventilate about Percy. It took Piper's charmspeaking and Leo's jokes to calm her down; reassure her that her boyfriend would remember her and wouldn't ask who she was.
Jason thought about all of this as he gazed out the porthole, watching the courtyard of the city zoom in, and seeing familiar faces look up at the boat in awe and disbelief.
Suddenly Leo skipped jaunted by in his Greek armor, singing at the top of his lungs, "La, la, la- whatever- la, la, la- it doesn't matter- la, la, la- oh well- la, la, la! We're going at it tonight, tonight! There's a party at the rooftop, top of the world! Tonight, tonight, and we're dancing at the edge of the Hollywood sign!"
Jason wondered how Leo could skip in Greek armor without passing out, but then he remembered how muscular and strong Leo had gotten after lifting up so many chunks of metal and training. It kind of surprised Jason how Leo had turned into a muscular girl heart-throb (Which Leo had done a victory dance after he'd found out) after being a rejected teenage runaway who was annoying (And still was at times- okay, a lot of times).
"We're about to land!" Piper shouted from across the tall timber door with Celestial bronze hinges and knob that led outside the Argo II.
Jason caught himself staring at her. He almost chided himself, but then remembered that he didn't have to do that anymore. Piper had seen him doing that and said that she hadn't minded after Jason had apologized.
Piper looked over at him and smiled reassuringly, making Jason's heart skip a few beats.
Holy Jupiter, she's beautiful. He thought dreamily, his heart still skipping two more beats before coming back to normal.
"Hey, it'll be fine, Jason." Piper said thoughtfully. "No one's going to think of you as a… what did you call it- A geek? I can't remember…"
"A graecus?" Jason suggested bitterly. He really did hate that word; after he'd heard a girl from the First Cohort get called that after she'd been caught talking to some enemies about Camp Jupiter's plans last summer. Of course, Octavian had said it- the big jerk.
"Yeah, that." Piper said, and then noticed Jason's expression. Her ears went a deep pink. "Sorry, I- I wasn't thinking."
"It's okay," He replied, feeling bad for his bittersweet thoughts. "I'm just nervous and that feeling came unexpectedly."
Piper grinned, and Jason's face began to get hot, but he held it back. He didn't want Piper think he was a dorky Roman.
"You sound like a Roman," she told him.
"Because I am one." Jason said with a smile coming across his lips.
"I thought you'd become Greek because you've been with us for so long."
"Well you thought wrong."
Their noses were high in the air for the mock, joking effect, and they were both smiling at each other. Piper's eyes were gleaming, and Jason guessed his were too.
Someone cleared their throat and Leo asked, "Is the love-fest over now?"
Jason and Piper looked over at him. Piper made a face at him and said, "Leo, don't annoy me."
No charmspeaking was in it at all, which surprised Jason a bit. Lately she'd charmspeaked Leo to stop talking or be annoying or get a piece of metal on or she'd come over there.
"In your dreams!" Leo sang, skipping in place. Then he stopped and told Jason, "I hope your folks don't fire at us, or else I'm so hitting the road. I do not want a scar on this beautiful face." He pointed to his impish face.
They all bursted out laughing, and Jason's hidden tension and bitterness disappeared like fog. If Reyna or Octavian said something that made Jason tense, he hoped Leo would make a joke so his tension would fade away.
Then a hard hit made the boat shift under Jason's feet and made him stumble. Thank the gods, he caught himself and didn't do a faceplant in front of Piper. That would just be embarrassing.
Annabeth appeared after the laughing quickly died. Her face was beaded with sweat, and her eyes were a pale stormy grey, showing her anxiousness and panic.
"The boat's landed." She announced.
Leo rubbed his hands together eagerly. "All right, let's find us a Percy Jackson and get this business meeting on! And make sure we buy some muffins from that place Jason told us about. That seems like heaven on earth."