Act II Chapter XXXIV: "It's wonderful to finally meet you."
Percy had never run so fast in his life as he was running to his mother's car. He practically threw himself into her embrace. Sally laughed and pulled him into a tight hug, but there were tears in her eyes. Percy sobbed, "I missed you so much."
"Oh sweetie," Sally said as she kissed his forehead and held him close. After a few moments, Percy tried to pull away to no avail. "I missed you more."
Sally let go and looked at the hill. Percy turned his head to see his friends were up the hill watching him. Luke and Annabeth stood next to each other, and Reyna stood a few feet away with arms crossed. Clarisse's head appeared over the hill, and she seemed to study Percy before getting bored and turning back around.
"Those are your friends that you told me about," Sally guessed. Percy nodded. "Reyna, Annabeth, and Luke?"
The most impressive thing about it was the fact that Sally pointed at them as she named them. It was easy to guess who Luke was, but he wouldn't have been surprised if Sally got Reyna and Annabeth mixed up. Instead, she pointed them out with confidence. Mother's intuition was pretty wild.
"Yeah," Percy said, and his cheeks felt a little warmer for some reason. Especially when his mother looked at the girls. He cleared his throat. "Are you sure it's okay if you give them a ride?"
"Of course," Sally said. She waved at the group and motioned for them to come on down. Annabeth smiled as she made her way down the hill. Luke glanced back at Reyna, who had crossed her arms and was just watching them.
Despite the distance, Percy managed to make eye contact with Reyna. He waved for her to come on down the hill and meet his mother. Reyna remained impassive until Luke's hand clasped her back. He seemed to pull her with him until she started to walk on her own.
Annabeth was the first down the hill, and she smiled at Sally. Luke and Reyna weren't far behind. Percy spoke, "Hey everyone, meet my mom. Mom, meet Annabeth, Luke, and Reyna."
"It's wonderful to finally meet you. All of you," Sally said as her eyes looked at everyone. Percy felt his cheeks redden more. Did he really talk that much about his friends?
"It's great to meet you too," Annabeth returned.
"Percy only says wonderful things," Luke promised. Reyna nodded her agreement but didn't voice anything. Sally studied her for a moment before looking at Percy. She snapped him up into another hug.
"You're going to squish the poor boy," Paul said gently. He placed a hand to Percy's shoulder and squeezed it tightly. Percy enjoyed the embrace of his mother before deciding to pull away. He still stayed close by.
"Have fun," Reyna said in a soft voice as she eyed all of them. She took a step back before turning away and practically running up the hill.
"She's shy," Luke excused. Sally nodded as she watched Reyna go, studying her fiercely. Paul just smiled at them.
"I have some experience with that," Paul stated. He walked toward the backdoor and opened it. "Now, Sally told me that I can't see weapons like she can but please no weapons in the car. Not out here, at least."
"It's sheathed," Luke said as he pointed to the golden dagger on his thigh. "My sword is staying back at camp."
"Mine's in my backpack," Annabeth promised as she shouldered the bag.
"I have a pen," Percy said. Annabeth rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, everyone get in," Sally said as she shepherded them to the car. Percy sat in the back between the other two demigods, and Paul took the driver seat. Sally sat in the passenger's seat and immediately looked at Percy. "Tell me everything."
"I already did."
"Well, tell me again."
Percy didn't mind as he told the story of everything that had happened. He kept out the scary bits, like him almost dying multiple times and jumping out of a prison. Or the Minotaur almost taking his head off. He also did not mention telling Annabeth his secret or the fact that the gods knew. Not in front of Luke anyway.
Maybe later.
The more Percy spoke, the more he realized just how much his life had changed. Months ago, he would have been complaining about school and waiting for the summer. Ready to go to the beach. Now, he was excited to go back and train more to fight monsters. He could not wait for what the future held.
Annabeth and Luke helped with the gaps in the story. Sally listened the whole time with a small, sad smile on her face. When the story was finished, the car was silent. Sally seemed to be digesting the story, and Paul looked amazed.
"We have a lot more work to do, but we're taking a break," Luke added as he looked at them. "We all need a break after our hard work."
"Would you like to go out to eat with us before we drop you off?" Sally offered. Annabeth and Luke exchanged a look. A smile.
"We would love that."
"Alright," Annabeth began as she laid out a map and notebook in front of Luke. An amused look came to his face as he sat forward. "We have almost finished rebuilding the camp, and we have plenty of demigods arriving. What should be our next step?"
"Enjoying our day of rest," Luke commented. Annabeth waved her hand.
"We already did that. We need to keep moving forward, and we need to bring the gods back. But, how do we do that? Do we try to work with Lady Artemis? Ask Lupa or Dionysus if they can help us. Would they know?"
"I've already talked to Chiron about it. He told me that Lupa has no idea but has been looking. Dionysus doesn't know and wouldn't care to tell us if he did. Terminus has no clue. Chiron tried messaging Iris, and she's keeping an eye out. We need more guidance," Luke explained.
"Okay," Annabeth said. She started to pace back and forth. Luke looked down at all her notes and the map of the camp that she had. He rubbed his chin. Annabeth stopped walking. "I have it. We need to talk to the oracle again! I'm sure she can help us."
Luke remained silent. He didn't want to go back to the decrepit old lady. It was bad enough finding her the first time, and what he saw...
Luke closed his eyes. He heard the lines of the prophecy. He saw this vision of an item that could help them on their journey. But, there was something he saw that he knew none of the others did. None of them had that ghost in their past.
No, it was Luke's burden and his burden alone to see into the face of the oracle and see his mother. He wasn't sure how he held it together at the time.
"Talk to the oracle," Luke repeated. "Do you think that will work?"
"It has to," Annabeth stated. She frowned. "Unless you think that is a bad idea."
"No," Luke said quickly. It was a great idea. It always was with Annabeth. "I just don't know why you can't take a break."
"Once this is done," Annabeth began.
"You always say that," Luke said. He turned toward Annabeth. "Then, you add on more. We did great work, Annabeth. Let's just take a break."
"Okay," Annabeth sighed as she sat down. Luke smiled, and his gaze moved down to the map in front of him. How long could he keep dodging this topic? This is the truth: he knew Annabeth would be upset that she didn't know. No, not upset. Hurt.
Annabeth would be hurt that Luke didn't trust her with this secret, but it wasn't something he liked to talk about. It wasn't something he wanted to dwell on. A sigh left Luke, and he tried to stretch out his neck.
"Something wrong?" Annabeth asked. Luke looked at her.
"No," Luke lied. "Just a little tired from training all the new people. It's nice to have a break."
"I'm glad Sally gave us a ride," Annabeth added. "She is so nice."
Luke nodded. He was happy that Percy had a good relationship with his mother. Bitterness hit his heart for a moment. Then, a sigh left his mouth. Luke moved to close up the notebook and map, despite the protests of Annabeth.
"We are going to enjoy today. No working," Luke said. Annabeth looked up at him with pursed lips. "I want to hang out with you, just like old times. Let's go watch a movie."
"Alright," Annabeth sighed. Her gaze moved to the side, and she looked like she was hiding the smile on her face. "I'll take a break just so you stop nagging me."
"Come on," Luke grinned. "We'll get a big tub of popcorn and an even bigger jug of soda."