Chapter 4: Transformations
AN: Takes place almost a year after Hidden Oracle and Sword of Summer.
It was the last day of their monthly reunion. Most of them were based in California now. Jason and Piper were in the middle of their senior year in LA. They had come up to Manhattan with Coach Hedge and his family. Reyna, Frank, and Hazel left Camp Jupiter in good hands. They had taken a plane from San Francisco, but Percy and Annabeth had taken Mrs. O'Leary from their first real break from college in New Rome. Rachel, Nico, Will, Leo and Calypso had driven from camp and met them at Sally and Paul's apartment. Thalia and Grover had appeared together suddenly. The hunters had been working with the council of cloven elders on a project recently. The small apartment had trouble hosting everyone for Thanksgiving dinner. Sally had cooked for everyone and the girls had fawned over the baby. Sally and Calypso talked about gardening. Before the latter joined the other girls to complain about their boyfriends. The boys enjoyed the football game, besides Nico and Will who were hogging the baby to Percy's chagrin. Everyone else thought the couple was adorable. Then Blue Pie and Cookies were crammed into their stomachs even though everyone was already stuffed.
"We should get back to camp. You guys are all coming for a bit, right?" Will asked.
"Yeah. This many demigods in one place is not the best idea. You'll be okay, right?" Percy asked his mom.
She rolled her eyes and pushed him towards the door, "Go have fun. I expect to see you and Annabeth later to hear more about school."
The 18 year old rolled his eyes. Some things never changed. He got into the Spyder with Annabeth (it was a gift from Apollo after the Prius was wrecked driving Meg and the latter to camp). Nico and Will shadow traveled together. Leo and Calypso got into Festus who could now become a car. Rachel and Reyna joined Thalia on Mrs. O'Leary's back. Frank, Hazel and Grover took the camp car back, shadow travel wasn't Grover's favorite. Frank was too stuffed to turn into a dragon.
They all arrived at camp to be greeted by Tyson and Ella. It was just in time for the bonfire led by Kayla and Austin. Everyone joined in as hot chocolate was passed around and the purple flames roared.
"Settle down. I know it is Thanksgiving and while this is not one of our holidays I believe we should go around and give gratitude to the Olympians by saying what we are thankful for."
Connor started, "That I finally joined Travis out in the world and our pranking legacy is being carried on at camp."
He winked at his younger half sisters who were giggling in the corner before nudging his brother. Travis put his arm around Katie, "I'm thankful that Katie here is still my girlfriend and that I have Connor with me again."
The circle continued on till it got to the last two Percy and Thalia. Percy was first and his list was long.
"I'm jinxing myself but I'm thankful for a semi-peaceful year at college in New Rome where I'm not saving the world from any Greek, Roman, Egyptian or Norse entity. "
"Egyptian? Norse?" whispers rose up around the circle and everyone looked to Percy, Chiron and Annabeth for answers.
"Later," Chiron said with a frown, (How had the boy managed to get mixed up with Egyptians and Vikings?) "Continue Percy."
"I'm thankful for my new sibling, that my family and friends are safe," he gestured to everyone in the circle. "For blue food, BTC, that Riptide can't talk (see Sword of Summer and Hidden Oracle), that I'm not dead and for Annabeth."
His girlfriend cuddled into his side and he tightened his embrace around her planting a kiss on her hair.
Thalia mimed gagging then began her list, "I'm thankful for the hunt. I guess I'm thankful to Seaweed brain for bringing my family back together," she smirked at Jason then paused and deadpanned, "and for the fact I'm no longer a tree."
"Wait, hold up. You were a tree?" Frank asked. The other newer campers nodded along with mouths open in shock.
"This story isn't widely told anymore? Wow, Camp really has changed," Connor said.
"There are better and cooler stories now," Leo gestured to himself. "Though I still want to hear this one."
"Is this a Percy story? Those are my favorite!" Harley gushed, bouncing in his seat next to Nyssa.
Percy stammered, "Um.. Wait. You guys tell stories about me?"
"They have since your first year. You're just on a quest more than you are at Camp. I cannot say how much of these are true, half might be rumors but I'm starting to think not."
AN: I might publish a story on the everyone hearing the story from Percy's mouth like it's no big deal. Let me know if you want that. I cherish reviews and recommendations.
"Probably not," Percy and Annabeth replied at once.
"Man, the first summer after you learnt you were a demigod you defeated a kindly one, the minotaur, all three kindly ones, Medusa, you fought Echidna, some automons, escaped the Lotus eaters, defeated Procrustes, went into the Underworld, and dueled Ares and won," Grover began.
"I think that was our easiest quest," Percy told Annabeth who hummed in agreement. This better stop soon. Percy wasn't good with too much praise.
"There was also that time you were dipped in the Styx and defeated my dad and his army. Or you shot Geyron through the chest and saved us after cleaning out his man-eating horses stalls. Or when you controlled the river Lethe," said Nico
"You controlled a river of the underworld?" Chiron gasped.
"Or held the sky, killed the Nemean Lion, fought Atlas, became besties with the ophiotaurus, became the only guy Lady Artemis doesn't hate, wiped out several monster armies and some other stuff I can't remember," Thalia said.
"You guys need to stop. After I say that, he exploded a volcano after our first kiss then had the nerve to disrupt his own funeral. People seem to have a habit of doing that when I'm around."
"Why do you have to be cousins with Magnus? I agree the Egyptian thing was my fault but the Norse one was yours!"
At this point everyone was staring at Percy with jaws dropped before Leo's ADHD took his attention off that and back to the original point.
"So Thalia was a tree?"
Blah blah blah, the whole story about how she became a tree.
"That was until Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson and Clarisse," the latter grunted, "found the Golden Fleece and brought it to camp. It's power brought me back to human form but the tree is still there," Thalia gestured to the pine that had been named for her on Half Blood Hill.
"And I'm not the only one around here that's been turned into a plant. Right Nico?"
The 15 year old blushed and glared at his elder cousin.
"How do you know about Trip and the Sorghum in Venice?" Frank asked. (See HOH)
"What are you talking about? I'm talking about Persephone and the dandelion."
Now everyone was staring at Nico. He sighed and said, "Long story short, I angered Persephone and instead of being grounded I became a Dandelion for a day. Then we met a harvest god with a grudge against my dad, thanks to the whole Persephone mess, he made a deal with Frank to save a poisoned Hazel but didn't trust me so I became a corn plant."
By then everyone was in tears of laughter. Percy had heard both these stories but had never commented. He had had enough embarrassing things happen to him that he wouldn't want getting out. But now this was out he couldn't resist, it was his duty as their cousin.
"If we're keeping a tally who wins? Thalia was a plant longer but Nico was one twice. Two different ones and there might be some times that he hasn't shared with us."
Will came to his embarrassed and annoyed boyfriend's defense, "What about you Percy? Both you're Greek cousins have become plants, have you?"
"No. I'm to awesome for that."
"But he's not too awesome to be a guinea pig," Annabeth said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Annabeth!" Percy sat up straight in outrage. It was hard to tell if his face was red from his blush or from being angry. He calmed down quickly though, he couldn't be mad at Annabeth for long.
"I'm getting you back for that," he muttered in her ear.
She ignored him, "We met Circe," Reyna looked down when she heard this hopefully she would not mention her. "She turned Percy into a guinea pig and tried to get me to join her. I gave Percy and the other guinea pigs some vitamins courtesy of Hermes. The other guinea pigs became Blackbeard and his crew and we stole their ship to escape."
"That explains why you like a lot of lettuce and celery," laughed Rachel.
"Yeah, yeah. Now we just need to wait for Hazel and Jason to have a turn. Or is this only a Greek thing?" Percy said.
The aforementioned two's eyes widened and everyone burst into laughter once again.
AN: I don't have any more ideas for this story at the moment. Feel free to send me some.