Sam sits on the front steps of the Big House, watching the campers go by. She watches in silence, as she does every now and then since the loss of her best friend three months ago.
It's weird. At first, she couldn't even manage a step outside her cabin without wanting to crawl up and hide. Then, she manages a break for lunch, or dinner, or a campfire. And then she goes a day- a full day- without crying. And then it was a few days. And then a week. Before she knows it, it's been three months since Ethan Jackson had died to stop a war that wasn't his to fight.
She would never forget him. But it grows easier to watch the world around her, see how the gift she had requested from the gods had benefitted both camps. It was simple. She had gone the Empire State Building and walked confidently into the main gathering space; her request had been straightforward and to the point: Peace.
Peace between the camps. Between the Roman demigods and the Greek half bloods. An attempt at peace between the gods themselves, as farfetched as it seemed. She had just wanted, for once in her life and her parents', peace.
And that's what she got. Things aren't perfect, Sam knows they won't ever be, but that's what she feels everyone needs a bit of.
"Hey," Sam hears from behind her.
She looks and finds Nicole standing there. "Hey."
"Feeling better today?" Nicole sits down next to her.
"Yeah, a bit," she replies. "How are the Jacksons doing?" Sam hasn't seen Percy and Annabeth since the funeral. She could barely manage to look at them, since Percy reminds her so much of Ethan.
"Alright. They're doing their best," Nicole replies. "They're concerned about you, mostly. News from Chiron travels fast."
"I'm fine. I'm going back to New Rome tomorrow for a bit. I need some space from this place," she tells her friend.
"Sounds fair. If you need anything, IM us."
"Don't worry, I will." Sam smiles a bit.
The next day, Sam leaves Camp Half Blood. The praetors welcome her back as a hero, and honorary member on their council to help keep the peace between the two camps. It keeps her busy for a bit, and her mind wasn't wandering to Ethan for months. Only for a few moments do her thoughts go back to her best friend. But she can't always let herself think about it. She knows she needs to move forward.
She loves Ethan with everything she has, and she knows she always will, but she can feel herself opening up to others. Opening up to her friends and her family, to the camps and the half bloods in them. To the Apollo boy who had been nothing but kind to her recently.
The camps were growing closer, rebuilding the bridges they had been forced to burn down. Sam knew they would be okay.
"Sammy," her mom's voice pull her from her thoughts. Hazel looks nervous to be next to her daughter, afraid to be pushed away and afraid to see her hurt.
Sam smiles. "Hey, mom."
"I haven't seen you in a while, honey. How are you?"
"Better," she replies. "I feel better."
"That's good." Hazel offers her daughter a small smile. "I'm glad you're doing better."
"Me too," she says automatically. But she thinks about it for a moment, thinks about how far she has come and how much she has done. "Me too, mom."
After a few minutes of content silence, Hazel's tentative voice breaks through to her.
"What's next for you, Sam? Where do you go from here?"
She had been dreading this question. She knew it was coming, but she didn't want to disappoint her mom.
"I… I think I need to leave. Discover the world outside of camp." Hazel sucks in a sharp breath, but motions for Sam to continue. "Being here hurts too much. I want to come back, and I will, but I think I have to explore a little more and… live. I've never been tested like this before, and I can't just go back to the way it was before."
Hazel nods, like she was expecting Sam to say this. "I was wondering how long it would take you to tell us." She pulls her daughter to her in a hug, and Sam smiles. Hazel whistles for Arion and he appears only seconds later. "You need this, Sammy. I love you. Go."
Sam sends another small smile to her mom as she stands up. She climbs on Arion's back and takes him to her place in Camp Jupiter to pick up some extra supplies, then stops long enough to find her dad. Frank is talking animatedly with the praetors, but stops when he sees Sam across the forum. His expression goes sad for a moment before he smiles and raises a hand in a wave. Sam waves back, and spurs Arion. And then she was gone.