It took a solid day to go through the wreckage of the town. Thankfully her abilities with water helped her to determine which parts of the town were safe. This led to her helping those who had volunteered. They filled the boats they brought with food, blankets and practical items they would need. Any frivolity was left behind.
For a long moment she considered raising the gold that was in the lake. Some fish had informed her the dragon had fallen on top of a barge full of the stuff, likely from the prior Master fleeing the town. Sadly it would take more time than she wanted to spend on it and so she had to prioritize.
The men that were with her seemed leery of her yet respectful at the same time. They knew she had faced the dragon, and they had seen her heal some of their fellow villagers. But she doubted any had dealt with someone of her ability. So she tried not to take their leery distance personally.
She was still anxious to get back to Bard and the others. She had trusted his youngest, Tilda, with Kora, as it would not be practical to carry the large pearl with her. Finding Kora was only half the battle. Now she had to get them home. Glancing down at the crystal necklace Janice had given her she noted the glow was becoming more prominent. It meant the time to return home was approaching fast.
Would she be able to see the others again before she had to go? Would she be able to say goodbye? Would she have to leave before the fight?
So many questions and no answers.
It wasn't until midday the following day that they made it to Dale. Already Bard had men and women working to clean and strengthen the buildings. Considering how long the ruins had been abandoned they had held up remarkably well. Some were admittedly little more than rubble, but a good amount were solid and easily fortified. More than anything the city would provide decent shelter for the coming winter.
Their group was welcomed by cries of relief and joy. Blankets and clothing were sorted and passed out. The food they managed to salvage was taken to a central area where the matrons of the town had set up a communal kitchen. Percia didn't even bother going in there, knowing how horrid she was at cooking. Besides, those women kind of scared her. And no she didn't mind admitting that, especially since most of the men seemed to share her completely rational fear.
Instead she worked with Bard and his men to help shore up any weaknesses in the walls and defenses. She also looked through the armory checking on the weapons and judging which ones were usable. Strangely she found herself one of the few who actually knew more than the basics about such weapons. Stranger still she ended up with several young men following her around like ducklings, practically begging her for lessons. It was somewhat disconcerting. Bard and most of the others were no help, finding humor in the situation.
She also managed to find the old wells and call forth enough water to fill them so the people would have enough to survive on. Even though it was winter there was an abundance of fresh water under ground and she could even feel the pull of a river near by. Whoever chose this location had done well, there was plenty of fresh water to help feed the city and grow crops. Glancing out over the wall she stared at the despondent valley between Dale and Erebor. She wondered what it looked like when it was healthy and well cared for.
Slowly but surely the ruins of Dale became a well-structured camp that would provide protection for the refugees. Just as the people in her own world, these people came together working hard to move past a tragedy and get on with their lives. Most of them worked together to insure their survival. Some (coughAlfridcough) were still problematic, but generally were easily handled.
As the sun set Dale was a fully established camp for the people of Lake Town. Bard had thoughtfully ordered the most seasoned members, mostly those of the old guard that managed to survive, to keep watch in various parts of the city. The matrons had the young ones in hand, and kept everyone in line. No one dared to try and push the silent boundaries that had been placed. For now, they were all of one mind to survive, therefore past quarrels were set aside and disruptive behavior was not tolerated.
It seemed human nature was the same in any world. When a crisis hit a group they would work together until the crisis past. Then they could happily return to their old routine behavior with no guilt.
At one point Bard called her to the rampart, showing her the bracers of Erebor were lit verifying her friends had survived. She felt a sense of relief knowing they had made it, though she couldn't know for sure if all of them had come through their journey. However she had hope for them.
They had even started working on the gate and shoring up their defenses. Fili must have had words with Thorin then about her warning. She just hoped the main entrance was not so damaged that it would fall easily to whatever forces Azog brought on.
As the night grew longer and most of the townspeople assembled in the great hall, which was also serving as their main shelter, Percia slipped off to a quieter section of the city. She walked past empty buildings and piles of rubble. This area had been a lower level and had not weathered the years as well as the other sectors of the city. Even though the buildings here had not faired well, the defensive walls surrounding the outer edge of the entire city proved sound.
Finding a small open section she hopped up to sit on the ledge of the wall, staring out into the night. The surrounding hills and mountainous terrain were nothing but shadows against the clear night sky. Balancing easily she pulled her legs up into an Indian-style bringing Kora's pearl to rest in her lap.
"I don't know what I should do," she whispered softly into the night. "Do I stay and help the people of this world? Or go home?" Her hand brushed against the crystal growing ever brighter as time went on. Time was running short. "Annabeth used to say I had a saving-people thing. That my flaw is not being able to let those I consider friends stand alone against their enemies. And she was right. I hate the thought of leaving my friends to this fate. But…" She paused, eyes tearing up slightly. "But I want to go home. I want to see my family again. Is that so wrong? I'm not a part of this world. I don't owe it anything, and this would have happened with or without me," she reasoned aloud. "I mean, the Valar practically said that. And it's not like I haven't warned them. Really how much help can I be in a battle like this?" Percia rubbed her eyes tiredly purposely not answering that question.
Shaking her head she pushed on, knowing she needed to speak the words aloud if she was going to come to her decision.
"I've fought in countless battles, lead others through two wars, I have lost the one place I considered home and many I thought were friends." Her words were soft and factual, a simple listing of the events of her life. "I survived an abusive home life, I've crossed between worlds to save my brother and I have helped save people in that world. I survived the tortures of Tartarus!"
"I have the right to be selfish in going home," she remarked desperately eyes locking on the stars twinkling in the sky. "I have the chance to have a real family with Tyson, and Triton, and lady Amphitrite and Nico, Jason and Thalia. And dad might remember he has a demi-god daughter. It could happen," she stated strongly, though not with any true conviction. "Being able to eat chocolate alone would be worth going back." Here she poked the pearl in her lap. "And lets face it, your mate totally owes me beaucoup chocolate for dealing with ridiculously chauvinistic males and that over grown lizard."
"It's not like I really have anyone here either. Not really," she murmured thoughtfully. "Kili dropped me the moment someone prettier came around. While I'm helpful on this quest the others might have accepted me, but afterwards? This world isn't meant for independent women who can fight better than they can cook. And okay, yeah, the quest was great for me, I am a demi-god, quests are what we do. But without a quest? I'd be bored out of my mind; my ADHD would drive anyone near me nuts. At least at home I have a plethora of ways to alleviate it. Hades, I just used the word plethora in a sentence correctly! I have been spending far too much time with Bilbo and Balin!"
Running her hands over her face she slumped forward slightly, knowing her mind was made up.
"We're going home," she whispered passionately to Kora. "I want to go home, and for once I'm gonna do what I really want to do. But… I can't say goodbye to the others. I know if I go back and see everyone I'll change my mind and stay. Maybe that makes me a bad person; however, I think I've done enough good here. I never made any promises to stay. I did help the dwarves get their home back, I helped the people of Lake Town, and I warned everyone of the coming attack. I've done my part for this world." Sitting up she allowed conviction to fill her fully. "It's time to go home."