"My shroud I'm guessing?" Beckendorf asked
Percy nodded.
The campers grimaced.
I dreamed Rachel Elizabeth Dare was throwing darts at my picture.
"Mad about him not coming?" Will asked in amusement
Rachel grinned sheepishly.
"Sorry Perce." She said
"All good." Percy grinned
"Wait how is dad still awake?" Triton asked
Poseidon looked equally puzzled.
Then there was a note.
'We have removed the part of the sleep from the curse. Now the gods will feel only the emotions and pain of the demigods.
The Fates.'
"Well that explains that." Triton sighed
Everybody nodded.
She was standing in her room…It's about twice as big as my mom's apartment.
"I like my mom's place. Small and cozy." Percy sighed contently
"I swear, I know right." Thalia said
"I mean seriously, add a good fire and some blankets on the couches and you just want to stay bundled there forever." Nico said happily
Percy chuckled.
"With hot coffee." Percy grinned
"Point brother." Nico grinned
"How much coffee do you guys want?" Will groaned
"You guys are coffee addicts." Hazel chuckled
Percy and Nico grinned.
"But Nico we don't have black, very black blankets." Percy smirked
"Shut up." Nico grinned
"You know the color of shadows." Percy continued
Nico smothered Percy's face with a cushion.
"Ahhhhhh." Percy yelled, voice muffled by the cushion
Nico snickered and removed the cushion.
Percy pouted at him.
"I'm sure we can arrange some." He said
Nico nodded in satisfaction.
Hades and Poseidon chuckled.
Some alt rock was blaring from her paint-covered Bose docking system…iPod could sound the same, and they all had to be strange.
"One of the greatest rules ever." Rachel smirked
Apollo grinned proudly.
"That's my oracle!" He whooped and punched the air
Everybody laughed.
"That I am." Rachel grinned
She wore a kimono, and her hair was frizzy…but when you've got a room that big, the mess doesn't look so bad.
"That's true. I always use that as my excuse." Rachel grinned
"Rachel, would you like to join our pranking team?" Connor asked in admiration
"Maybe later." She said. Then she gave a wink to them to let them know that she's going to join.
Out the windows you could see the entire nighttime skyline of Manhattan…Rachel said I'd looked just like that after the battle.
"As long as you find it disturbing then you're the good guy." Annabeth smiled
Percy returned it.
"That dude was threatening my friends." He shrugged
Everybody chuckled.
"Demigods," Rachel muttered as she threw another dart at the canvas. "And their stupid quests."
Rachel flinched.
"Sorry guys, it wasn't stupid at all." She apologized
"It's fine Rachel. You were bummed out." Beckendorf smiled
Rachel nodded and gave him a grateful look.
Most of the darts bounced off, but a few stuck. One hung off my chin like a goatee
Everybody snickered.
Someone pounded on her bedroom door…It was smushed on one side like he'd lost a fight with his pillow
Everybody laughed.
"Losing a fight with a pillow sucks." Travis said
"How do you know?" Chris asked
"Pillow fight with Connor." Travis grinned
"Seriously, have you ever woken to the Apollo cabin blasting music at 3am? I'm sure you'd look like you lost a fight with your pillow as well." Beckendorf laughed
The Apollo campers grinned sheepishly.
His blue silk pajamas had "WD" monogrammed on the pocket. Seriously, who has monogrammed pajamas?
"My dad." Rachel shrugged
The demigods snickered.
"What is going on?" he demanded. "It's three in the morning."
"Ah so even you were blasting music at three?" Lee grinned
Rachel grinned.
"The best time for music." She said
The Apollo gang nodded and smirked.
"No! 3am and high volume?" Demeter asked
"YES!" The demigods chorused.
"Best time ever." Nico said
"You need-" Demeter started
"More cereal. Sure, I'm gonna pass though." Nico sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
The Underworld gang were snickering.
"So…I take it your friend isn't coming to St. Thomas? ... Or young man if he was talking to me, which he rarely did
"So young man, how have you been doing?" Thalia asked with an accent on the 'young man'
"Oh you know typical." Percy grinned
Everybody laughed.
Rachel knit her eyebrows. "I don't know."… land development company and made his employees nervous.
"He does do that. A couple of his employees fidget a lot." Rachel said
"Seriously, if anybody paces with a stern expression or just stares at you, it really makes you nervous." Chris said
The demigods nodded.
"Are you still having bad dreams?" he asked…"Worried about the family's reputation," Rachel muttered.
"Oh I hate those people who pretend to care but are actually worried about their reputation. My mother was like that you know." Jason said
Thalia nodded.
"It's very irritating and disgusting." She agreed
Her father didn't react—maybe because he'd heard that comment before, or maybe because it was true.
"Both." Rachel sighed
"We could call Dr. Arkwright," he suggested…"I was six then," she said
Nobody laughed.
"It makes sense anybody would need a therapist. To experience death no matter how close you are to them at such a young age, it's quite traumatizing." Nico said
The demigods and Hades grimaced.
"Though I don't need one now. I'm old enough now." Rachel said
"There is no age till you can get therapy. Anybody could need it about any topic. Most commonly it's depression, trauma and confusion. Even if your dad is concerned about his reputation, he isn't wrong as he doesn't know about you having oracle powers." Will said
Rachel tilted her head.
"Oh okay." She said
"Yeah anybody could need or want therapy. There isn't a specific age." Apollo said
"And no, Dad, I don't need a therapist…He only owned part of it
A few snickers.
"It will be good for you to get away," he decided…"And my friends are none of your business."
Rachel scowled.
Mr. Dare smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile…he'd found out he was a half-blood and had run away from home.
"It was freaky to see the picture in a dream without knowing about your oracle stuff." Percy said
Rachel grimaced.
"It was confusing to me too." She said
Rachel stared at the portrait…I saw spears, javelins, and banners—the trappings of an army.
The demigods shuddered. So did a few gods.
"That's very disturbing. Especially as Rachel and Percy have no idea what's going on and Rachel just drew the picture. Seeing it in an image is horrible." Grover said
The demigods nodded.
"Percy," Rachel muttered, as if she knew I was listening, "what is going on?"
"You can sense that too?" Michael asked
"Sometimes." Rachel admitted
The dream faded, and the last thing I remember was wishing…Here I am! Please rearrange my face!
The demigods snickered.
"I think Percy would say 'Rearrange my face? Nah I'll rearrange your face.' Castor snickered
"I think all of us would say that." Percy chuckled
"True." Castor grinned
Even within the safe borders of camp…don't even own cell phones.
"Now we do." The demigods grinned at Hermes
Hermes grinned back and winked.
And I definitely couldn't tell Annabeth, "Hey, let me borrow your phone so I can call Rachel!"
"Not at that time." Annabeth admitted
To make the call, I would've had to leave camp and walk several miles…I ate a depressing breakfast by myself at the Poseidon table.
"Percy found breakfast depressing?" Reyna asked
"That day." Percy said
"You're not in a good mood then." Reyna said
"No." Percy said
I kept staring at the fissure in the marble floor…we decided to do them together so it wouldn't be so heinous.
Chiron looked at the two.
"That's a good idea." He smiled
Annabeth and Percy grinned.
We started at the Poseidon cabin, which was basically just me…" She used the end of her pencil to pick up an old pair of running shorts.
Everybody snickered.
Triton was roaring with laughter.
Percy was grinning sheepishly at him.
I snatched them away. "Hey, give me a break…. I knew better than to argue, so we moved along.
"That was a fair score though." Chris said
Percy nodded.
I tried to skim through Chiron's stack of reports as we walked…ADHD brain did not like concentrating on depressing stuff.
"Yeah it makes you depressed too." Connor said
The demigods nodded.
Little battles were raging everywhere…because so many monsters were roaming the country
"Maybe we could make a safe house near a satyr hotspot?" Will suggested
"Yeah with the same protection like camp so if a monster is chasing them, they could go to the safe house and leave once the monster is gone." Nico agreed
Will smiled at his boyfriend.
Chiron thought about it.
"That's a good idea. We could make multiple." He said
"We better get started on the robotic shields then." Leo said
Everybody looked at Zeus.
"Yeah." Percy said
Our friend Thalia, who led the Hunters of Artemis…Fresh flowers bloomed on the windowsills.
Aphrodite grinned.
I wanted to dock a point because the whole place reeked of designer perfume, but Annabeth ignored me.
Everybody snickered.
Silena nodded listlessly…He thought— he thought they might cheer me up."
Silena and Beckendorf sighed.
"Are they any good?" I asked…I didn't have anything against cardboard, so I tried one.
A few chuckles.
We promised to see Silena later and kept going…I'd never seen the chariot before, but it looked like a pretty sweet ride.
The Apollo cabin smirked.
Soon, the roof of the Ares cabin was burning…all the Apollo kids' arrows turned to rubber.
"Wait they can do that?" Leo asked open mouthed
"Some of us." Clarisse grinned
"Lit." he said
The Apollo kids kept shooting at the Ares kids…I don't want to rhyme all day!"
The demigods snickered.
"Wow, who cursed that kid?" Piper asked
"Austin." Will laughed
"Oh yeah, he threatened to curse somebody with something similar if they hurt me." Apollo smiled
Will smiled
"What?" Lee asked in confusion
"Zeus turned dad mortal. He turned back into a god only a month ago." Will said
Lee and Michael scowled at Zeus.
Annabeth sighed. "Not that again. Last time Apollo cursed a cabin…I'd almost rather get shot by an arrow.
"Hey!" Apollo pouted though he was trying not to laugh
Percy grinned sheepishly.
"What are they fighting about anyway?" I asked…but she was starting to be seriously beautiful.
"Percy's drooling." The demigods teased
Percy tuned a deep shade of red.
Finally she said, "That flying chariot."… So they've been fighting about who gets it ever since."
"That's the thing. Apollo cabin seized it so it's rightfully theirs." Hazel frowned
Clarisse glared at the floor.
"So you're not going to fight in the war because of a chariot?" Frank asked
"You don't get it Frank. You don't know half the reason I said that. I know I was wrong in saying such a huge thing but you don't have any idea why I said what I did." Clarisse said angrily
Frank recoiled. He thought it was just because of the chariot…
"I know the reason and I get where you're coming from but this wasn't a good decision." Ares said gently
"I know dad." Clarisse said
The Greek campers and Chiron grimaced. Some of the gods glared at Clarisse.
We ducked as Michael Yew's chariot dive-bombed an Ares camper…pretty creative about rhyming those cuss words
Everybody snickered as the tension was relieved.
"Ares cabin." Chris said and winked at Clarisse
Clarisse snickered.
"We're fighting for our lives," I said…but with Beckendorf being gone and all, we cut them some slack.
"Thanks." Beckendorf smiled
"It's all right. They would be shaken up after your death. I mean we all were so the Hephaestus cabin would be way more." Annabeth said
Beckendorf smiled at her.
Hermes got a two, which was no surprise…which was basically calling herself an idiot in Greek.
A few chuckles.
Annabeth grinned sheepishly.
Her second-in-command, Malcolm, suppressed a smile…just for monsters and people who messed with her stuff.
Everybody laughed.
"I know that's scary. Touch a chips packet and she chased me all the way to my cabin." Connor grinned
Annabeth smirked.
Malcolm grinned at me…door while Annabeth cleaned up her bunk.
"Even he ships you guys! Come on!" The demigods shouted
Annabeth and Percy turned beet red.
I shuffled uneasily and pretended to go through some more reports…it was against camp rules for two campers to be…like, alone in a cabin.
The demigods snorted.
"One more rule we don't follow." They said
Chiron shook his head fondly.
That rule had come up a lot when Silena and Beckendorf started dating…doesn't that make dating gross?
"I asked Drew that once." Jason laughed
The demigods chuckled.
But the thing is, the godly side of your family doesn't count…Like two kids from Athena cabin? No way.
"So how about these two?" Thalia asked, pointing to Zeus and Hera
"That's… that's an exception." Percy said
The gods nodded.
But a daughter of Aphrodite and a son of Hephaestus? ... Which had been given to her as a gift from the inventor Daedalus last summer.
"Percy has a crush, Percy has a crush." Triton laughed
Percy grinned and blushed.
The sea gang was chuckling.
I cleared my throat. "So…get any good info from that thing?"… load-bearing joints until my eyes glazed over.
"You actually remembered?" Annabeth asked fondly
"Nobody can forget the one hour lecture about the different kinds of angles." Percy grinned
Annabeth pouted.
"You know…" She brushed her hair behind her ear…About losing people who are important."
"That's true. Learnt it the hard way." Will said
The demigods sighed and nodded.
I nodded. My brain started seizing on little random details…"The Parthenon," I remembered.
Annabeth smiled.
Thalia and Grover nodded.
She managed a smile. "Yeah."… I was facing the end of my days.
"Don't dwell on prophecies." Rachel chided
Percy nodded.
"Yes ma'am." He said
Rachel smirked.
Within a week, Olympus might fall…Let's finish your reports and get back to Chiron."
"You're a fair person. You'd make a good judge." Athena said proudly
Annabeth smiled.
On the way to the Big House, we read the last report…Where are you? —Gleeson Hedge, protector.'"
"Coach Hedge." The Seven, Reyna, Nico and Clarisse grinned
"Juniper was very worried." Chiron said
"I remember." Nico said
Chiron raised an eyebrow.
"Might come up." Nico said
Annabeth grimaced. "You haven't heard anything from him? … Pan and convince nature spirits to protect their own little bits of the wild.
Dionysus, Hermes and Artemis smiled at the satyr who smiled back.
He'd only come back to camp a few times to see his girlfriend, Juniper…an army gathered around the Empire State Building
"That was scary." Katie said
The demigods nodded.
"Annabeth." I stopped her by the tetherball court…"What do you want me to say?"
"Hey he's just asking for advice." Triton said
Percy gave him a look to not say anything else.
Triton sat back.
Annabeth grimaced.
"I'm sorry Percy." She said
"It's fine. You were jealous." Percy smiled
"I'm not sure. You're the best strategist I know…"Rachel is just a mortal."
"That's exactly what happened." Michael said with wide eyes.
The demigods and gods nodded.
"But what if her dream is true?... You run away from things when you're scared."
"He's just stressed. He has the fate of the world on his shoulders. It was important to show him the prophecy. You can't show anybody a prophecy like that and not expect them to be stressed. Only a fool would not worry." Triton said angrily
"Triton please." Percy pleaded
"But-"
"No. Please don't. This is the past." Percy said
Triton sighed.
Annabeth flinched.
"He's right. I'm really sorry." She said
Percy went and kissed Annabeth's forehead.
"It's fine." He said as he walked back.
Annabeth blushed and smiled.
The demigods wolf whistled.
I stared at her, completely stunned…maybe she wasn't talking about the prophecy.
"Well at least you realized that." Silena sighed
"It's an improvement." Percy shrugged.
"If you don't like our chances," she said…"That's not fair!"
"I never said that." Percy muttered so that Annabeth wouldn't hear him. He didn't want to make her feel bad.
Nico, Hazel, Thalia, Jason and the sea gang gave him sympathetic smiles.
"We know." Thalia told him
She pushed past me and stormed toward the strawberry fields…Ares and Apollo cabins called a temporary truce to attend.
Beckendorf smiled at Clarisse and the Apollo kids.
Beckendorf's shroud was made out of metal links…today they burned black.
The Hephaestus gang closed their eyes. The demigods and other gods did the same.
Reyna continued after two minutes.
I hoped Beckendorf's spirit would end up in Elysium.
"Definitely." Hades said
The Hephaestus gang smiled at him.
Maybe he'd even choose to be reborn and try for Elysium…which was like the Underworld's ultimate party headquarters.
"Nah. I'm gonna stay in Elysium." Beckendorf said
The demigods nodded.
If anyone deserved it, Beckendorf did.
Beckendorf smiled at Percy.
"You do." Percy and the other demigods said
Beckendorf smiled at all of them.
Annabeth left without a word to me…Chris Rodriguez, tried to comfort her.
Silena smiled at Clarisse and Chris who smiled back.
Finally I got up the nerve to walk over…I guess he still felt guilty about it.
"You always feel guilty about it but I've left that part of my life behind." Chris said
Clarisse squeezed his hand.
The demigods nodded and smiled. Hermes smiled at his son.
I cleared my throat. "Silena, you know Beckendorf carried your picture…You made the last year the best of his life."
Beckendorf nodded and gave a grateful look to Percy.
Silena choked back a sob.
Silena sobbed. "Good work, Percy," Clarisse muttered…almost to herself. "She'll survive."
A few chuckles.
"You could help with that," I suggested…spying for the Titans didn't seem like her style.
Clarisse glared at Percy.
"Just a passing thought, I know you would never." Percy said
Clarisse nodded.
Frank thought that he was getting a hint of what hurt Clarisse.
All right," I told her. "I didn't want to bring this up…I don't know what people say about me behind my back."
Frank understood the meaning now.
"You could change that. If people think you can't do something or won't do something, do it twice and take pictures." Nico said
The demigods chuckled.
"Life rule." Thalia grinned
"I'm gonna follow that now." Clarisse nodded
Nico smiled.
I wanted to say, Well, it's true…"Hey, wait! I just meant— Clarisse, wait!"
"Sorry." Clarisse winced
"It's fine." Chris smiled
"No, you were right. Should've listened to Prissy." Clarisse said
"You should have but I'm not hurt about you trudging off." Chris said
Clarisse swallowed and nodded.
I watched the last sparks from Beckendorf's fire curl…I wanted to see an old friend.
"Done." Reyna said
"I'll read." Poseidon said
Reyna gave the sea god the book.