I wanted to thank those of you who commented, as well as those of you who are now following this story. It means a lot. Anyway, I couldn't wait to post the next chapter, so here it is! I hope you enjoy it!

Coming Together Chapter 2

The following morning, camp is alive with the hustle and bustle of campers getting ready to leave for the Fall. Some are already toting their luggage out of their assigned cabins, while others waited until the last minute to do anything. Now, they're throwing things around and you can see them through windows stuffing clothes and other items into duffle bags frantically. Some will leave today; most will leave by the end of the week, per Mr. D's demand. The only ones who will stay are the camp's counselors, teachers, and the year-rounders.

Normally, at this time in the past, I have mixed feelings about packing up to leave. Part of me usually wants to stay so I can continue to train and hang out with Annabeth and Grover, but another part of me wants to leave so I can finally see Mom again and actually spend some time with her. After all, she's the only parent that I can see without Zeus threatening the entire planet…

I shake my head slowly to try to rid myself of those thoughts. I know if I continue to walk down that particular road, I'll be depressed by the time Mom arrives, and well, that's not the kind of welcome she deserves from her only son and the one she has given up so much for.

Determined to follow my normal routine, I walk to the Mess Hall and stand in line to get my breakfast. I put various foods on my plate, including fruits, eggs, and toast. It's only when I sit down that I realize I've gotten too much. Recently, I've gotten in the habit of doubling up on my portions, so Tyson can have my leftovers. He can eat his entire plate and half of mine within minutes…but he's not here anymore.

"Hungry?" Annabeth asks with a smirk.

I suspect she knows why I got so much food and where my thoughts are now, so she's trying to get a rise out of me so I won't be too sad about it. Giving her what she wants, I cut my eyes at her and say, "Maybe. Got a problem with that?"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Grover cries waving his hands back and forth in front of him. "We won't be seeing each other for a while. We can all play nice until you get back to camp next summer and I get back from my search for Pan."

I smile at Grover and nod my head slightly in agreement. I pick up a piece of toast and tear at the crust as Annabeth replies, "Well, who knows? I might actually get to see Percy. I'll be living in New York this year, after all."

I wish, but I don't say that out loud. Instead, I say, "You'll be at an all-girls school in Manhattan. New York is a big city; it's possible we might not see each other at all." In fact, that's very likely. I sigh as I look back down at my food and an uncomfortable silence develops across the table. Soon, Annabeth interrupts it.

"Percy, what's wrong?" She sounds concerned.

I look up and ask as nonchalantly as I can, "Who says something's wrong?"

"I know you," she states firmly. "You always get quiet when you have something on your mind. Did you have another bad dream? Are Luke and Kronos up to something again?"

I immediately shake my head; I don't want to alarm them. "No, no! I haven't been having any dreams!"

"Then, what is it?"

I shrug. "I just miss Tyson, I guess. And, I…" I trail off as I contemplate whether I should tell them anything more.

"And?" Annabeth questions. She hunches her shoulders and moves her neck around a little, showing her impatience.

Immediately, I lean back as far as I can on the bench and respond, "I don't know. It just feels weird to be going home now for some reason. I can't put my finger on why, though."

Grover simply nods like he understands whereas Annabeth squints her eyes at me. Her scrutiny always unsettles me because I feel like a bug under a huge magnifying glass, but I force myself to ignore her. I turn back to my plate and finish eating. Afterward, I excuse myself back to my cabin, so I can finish packing.

=)=)=)

When I step into Cabin Three, I find that most of my belongings are already packed, but instead of them being in duffle bags, they are in boxes. "What the—"

Before I can finish my question, Hermes steps out from behind a pillar and says, "I thought I'd help out. You were far behind everyone in Cabin Eleven."

George, one of the snakes on Hermes' Caduceus, cries out to his companion, "I told you it would surprise him!"

"Well, that's not necessarily a good thing!" Martha snaps back.

Not wanting to seem ungrateful to Hermes or to allow a fight to erupt between the two snakes, I say, "Uh, thanks. I really appreciate that." I then walk over to a chair in the middle of the room and sit down.

Without invitation, Hermes follows me and sits down in a chair across from me. Like yesterday, he's dressed in a modern-tailored charcoal suit. If it wasn't for his staff, you'd never guess he was really an Olympian God. You would think he was a businessman, and he is that, as well. He runs UPS. But my thoughts quickly leave Hermes' physical appearance and I contemplate why he's here again. This is the third time Hermes has visited me at camp and the last two times have been within less than a twenty-four hour period. I'm not sure what's going on, but surely there is something. "So," I say, smiling as I try to broach the topic carefully, "what brings you back to my cabin so soon?"

Hermes smiles softly and says, "I was watching everyone's reactions." Before I can question what he means, he clarifies, "Remember, I dropped off gifts in Cabin Eleven last night."

"Oh, yeah," I say, nodding my head. "How did it go?"

"Well," he answers. "Some had better gifts than others, but not all of them are my children. At least everyone got something."

"Yeah," I agree, rubbing my neck, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Which reminds me!" Leaning forward, Hermes pulls out a small square, wooden box from his coat pocket and hands it to me.

I immediately take it and ask, "What's this?"

"What do you think? A gift." He seems so enthusiastic that I can't help but smile.

"Who's it from?" My mind races as I try to figure it out before he tells me. Is it from Mom? No, she'll see me tomorrow, so why would she send anything? Then, I decide it can only be one person: Dad! My smile widens into a grin until I notice that Hermes seems very nervous.

Leaning back in his seat, he's now the one rubbing the back of his neck. "Uh, well, you see, Percy…uh, it's from me."

I'm so surprised that I don't censure my reaction. I ask, "From you?"

He nods once and explains, "When I told you last night about the gifts I had for Cabin Eleven, I realized I wanted to give you something, too. It's, uh, not a big deal. You used to be a member of my cabin, after all, and I never got to give you anything before you moved out. And, it's not like Poseidon is raining gifts from the rooftop. Besides, you did try to help me with Luke…so I thought it was warranted."

I close my hand tightly around the box and then hold it out to him. "You don't owe me anything. I wanted to help you reconcile with Luke. I still do."

Hermes didn't take the box. He replies simply, "I know. It's not a 'thank you' gift. I want you to have it, so please, keep it."

I know it's not wise to argue with a god, especially when he wants to give you a gift, so I bring the box back to my lap and open it. Inside, nestled in a cushion with a singular cut across the middle is a UPS pin, one that you usually see placed on the collars of the employees' work shirts. "Uh, thanks," I say, taking the pin out of the box.

Hermes smirks, almost as if he knows this isn't anywhere near what I had expected. He laughs a little and then announces, "That's not an ordinary pin, Percy. It's very special. No matter where you are, if you want to send me a message, you can do it with that pin. Just place your finger on it and call out to me. I'll hear you. No drachmas will be necessary or stopping by a UPS Store." After a moment, he added, "You can call on me at any time, for any reason, even if you simply want to talk."

I close my fingers around the pin and hold it tightly. I suddenly find myself so overwhelmed by the gift that I have to breathe deeply a couple of times to speak. "Thank you," I whisper finally.

He nods and smiles before he stands. He walks to my side and slaps me lightly on the back. "I'm glad you like it," he says. He then looks down at the watch he has on his wrist and announces, "Well, I have to get going. Shipping slows down when I'm not there; the workers tend to slack off."

I grin, knowing he spoke the truth, but before I can say anything, Hermes disappears.

With no packing left to do, I decide I'll go back out and help either Annabeth or Grover finish theirs. That decision, however, is quickly forgotten when I step outside. The smell of seawater is strong and I can hear, even from this distance, the crashing waves from the Long Island Sound.

Uh, oh, Dad's upset about something…

=)=)=)

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