With Percy around I was no longer the new person at camp. The occasional side glance was no longer directed at me. I did feel sorry for him because most people were avoiding him. I made a point of being nice, of the wave passing in the green. It wasn't his fault that his dad was lord of the seas and that granted him the abilities he had. Still, the whole healing thing with water amazed me. The way the skin mended itself until not even a scar was left was astounding. I would never cease to be awed by the way dumping a cup of water of his head was reenergizing. Unfortunately, not everyone shared my same viewpoint.
So naturally, when Percy was given a quest it was because his father had been accused of stealing Zeus's master lightning bolt.
Annabeth filled me in the day the storm clouds blocked out the normally sunny sky. She said Percy had accepted a quest to travel to the Underworld and request Hades return the bolt to Mount Olympus by the summer solstice in ten days from now. Grover and her were accompanying him.
"This is the chance I've been waiting for," she said, excitement gleaming in her eyes. "I can finally go on a quest." I nodded and smiled encouragingly, hiding the dread that was building the more I learned of this seemingly impossible mission.
I went with Chiron and Luke to send them off. We all stood at the crest of Half-Blood Hill. "Be careful," I gave Annabeth a final hug.
"I'm not the one you should be worried about," she said, looking over at Percy. "I'll try to keep him out of trouble so we all don't die." I told Grover goodbye and made my way to Percy.
"Good luck." I didn't know what else to say. If you die on this quest I will be really disappointed. I stood with Chiron and Luke beside Thalia's tree and watched as the white van bumped down the road. See you soon.
I tried to fall into a routine to keep my wandering mind off them but everywhere I looked reminded me of them. The sky was constantly thundering and the ocean crashed against the sand dunes. People were beginning to take sides in anticipation of the upcoming war. Athena, Ares and Apollo cabins were for Poseidon while Athena backed Zeus. I tried my best to stay out of it. As daughter of Hera I would be expected to stand behind Zeus but I was friends with Percy. But Annabeth's cabin was for Zeus...it drove me crazy thinking about any of it. Why do the gods have to be so fussy about everything?
The day of the solstice everyone was constantly watching the sky for any changes from the rolling thunderclouds. Slowly the hours ticked away and by sunset we were still alive and the earth was in one piece. I could only hope they had succeeded.
The next morning I was walking to the dining pavilion and noticed lots of people gathered around. As I got closer I saw what was happening and rushed forward, pushing through the crowd. "You made it! Not that I never believed you would but its nice to know you made it back!" I squeezed Annabeth and Grover in a crushing hug.
"He's the real hero," she said.
Percy smiled sheepishly and I gave him a hug. The three of them were given laurel wreaths to wear and burned their burial shrouds. At the banquet they recounted the quest. Percy finished by saying he went to Olympus and returned the master bolt to Zeus. Everyone was in awe when they finished. It was incredible they accomplished so much in so little time.
At the bonfire that evening I noticed Percy's absence. I found him sitting on the beach. "You did good." He didn't turn but his shoulders tensed ever so slightly.
"Thanks."
I sat beside him and stretched my legs out. "You saved us and got your mom back."
"I suppose so." He stared absently across Long Island Sound. I placed a hand on his arm and he looked down at it. "What you did, most heroes only dream of." With a nod he turned back. "Tomorrow I'm leaving. I am going back home for a while." He fixed me with those green eyes.
"Where is home?" I told him all about Colorado and the mountains and valley that was our backyard. I explained the colors the mountains turned in the mornings and how I would eat breakfast and watch the sunlight slowly fill each crevice in the valley. I talked about camping trips with my dad and how we would sometimes set up the tent and roast hot dogs and marshmallows in the backyard. He closed his eyes as I talked and sighed blissfully. "It sounds beautiful," he said softly.
"All I've ever known is the mountains. What is it like living in the city?" Percy then told me about his mom's apartment in Manhattan and his horrible stepfather Gabe Ugliano-I laughed at the name-whom he had nicknamed Smelly Gabe. His mom worked at a candy store and would bring home a bag of blue candy for him. She wanted to write a novel. She never raised her voice and was the most patient, loving person in the world.
"She sounds wonderful." We sat there in comfortable silence and watched the sunset reflecting on the water. When the conch horn blew signaling curfew we stood and brushed ourselves off. "See you tomorrow," he said when we got to the Zeus cabin.
"See you tomorrow," I smiled and pushed open the doors to Hera's temple. The next morning I packed the things I would be taking home into my backpack, leaving most of the stuff. With one last look around I closed the heavy doors.
Annabeth, Grover, Luke and Percy walked with me to the camp border. "Don't die out there in the real world," Luke ruffled my hair. I told him I couldn't make any promises. He nodded solemnly and I wondered if I said something wrong.
"See you again soon," Annabeth hugged me one last time. Grover patted me on the back.
Percy stuck out his hand, taking me by surprise. "This isn't goodbye," he said. I shook it and with a final look at Camp Half-Blood I walked over to the white van with Delphi Strawberry Service painted on the side. Argus bought a bus ticket for me and I hopped on the next bus. I watched out the window as New York passed. At my side was my spear, which the Mist was presumably covering. One elderly lady sitting across the aisle asked why such a young girl would need a walking stick. I made up a quick lie that I was traveling to see my dad and we were going to go backpacking across Europe. Then I was forced to listen to her stories of traveling around the world in her glory days.
It took nearly two days to reach the mountains outside of Telluride. I was so excited I had difficulty sitting still. Add that to my ADHD and the people around me were getting frustrated. Once off I caught a taxi. The front porch light was on and through the living room window I could see Dad reading a book on the couch. I raised a fist and knocked. A moment later the door opened and I saw the shock, astonishment and delight pass over his face.
"Hi, Daddy, I'm home."
