Sally drops them off just outside the camp borders and sends them away with a hug each. Annabeth and Percy are still bickering the whole walk up the hill, so as soon as Camp is in view, Julie ditches them. She makes a beeline for the stables. Cabin 10 should be just about wrapping up flying lessons right now.
Sure enough, the moment she approaches, Silena comes sweeping down on a white pegasus. She lands smoothly and leaps off her saddle, racing towards Juliette with open arms. Julie lets out a girly scream of excitement and bounds up to her so they can hug.
"Oh my gods, you've gotten so tall." Silena gushes. She pushes Julie back by the shoulders and looks her over. She gasps in delight. "Your hair is longer! And you're wearing makeup! And your skirt, oh my goodness that's adorable-"
"I missed you too, Silena." Juliette laughs. She pauses in thought and then strikes a pose. "Also, it's from a boutique in Manhattan. They're having a sale, so we should definitely make an outing soon."
Silena beams. "I need one. We will. Now, tell me everything."
The two of them chat nonstop through cabin inspections and dinner. Silena tells Julie about her first year of high school while they share chocolates from her father's shop. Juliette runs Silena through the lists of people at her school that she likes and hates, explains all the background of who's dating who, and finishes off the conversation by explaining what happened at Percy's school (with heavy emphasis on the Annabeth vs Rachel situation).
By this point in her storytelling, several of Juliette's siblings are listening in as well, leaning in in intrigue. Juliette has a sudden onslaught of butterflies ramming themselves against the inside of her belly at the attention.
Thankfully, a new girl Julie doesn't know yet pipes in, "Which ones are Percy and Annabeth?"
The whole table groans.
"Lacy, if you value your mental health, pray you never meet them." Mitchell sighs dramatically. "I've never seen two people so desperately in love, yet so determined not to admit it in my life."
Julie runs into Clarisse on her way to bed. Literally. They smack into each other turning a corner by the staircase and stumble apart in surprise. She starts to apologize, but chokes on her words when she sees the red rimming the older girl's eyes.
"Watch it." Clarisse grits out. She ducks her head from Juliette's line of sight and pushes past her before she can say a word. It takes Julie a moment to recover from the shockwaves of grief and anger the short contact sent searing through her nervous system.
The first night back in her own bedroom isn't nearly as bad as she expected. Mostly because she passes out as soon as her head hits the pillow (probably from not listening to Percy snore). But also, the room feels less isolated than it did the previous year for some reason.
As she's getting ready the next morning, though, her eyes linger on the blue nail polish still sitting out on her desk and lead settles in her stomach.
Which is fine, apparently, because Chiron wasn't planning on letting them eat comfortably anyway. He and a new instructor (Quintus, Juliette learns) step in front of the campers at breakfast and announce that the Apollo cabin spotted an Aethioppian drakkon in the woods nearby early this morning. They warn them that its's still alive, and to be vigilant, but war games are still on for the evening.
Whispers follow Julie after that, and the siblings that had opened up to her the night before go back to pretending she doesn't exist. She doesn't know whether to be sad or irritated. She's not a drakkon. Is this going to happen every time something even vaguely serpentine attacks camp? Because, if so, they are gonna flip when they hear about Medusa.
She catches sight of Annabeth sitting at the Poseidon table and almost chokes on her drink. Frantically, she waves to get Silena's attention, who gasps and relays the message all the way down the line of Aphrodite siblings until every set of mascaraed eyes are trained attentively on the pair of demigods whispering and sitting way too closely to be platonic. By the time Annabeth notices, blushes, and heads back to her own table, all eight of them are giggling and elbowing each other. Even Julie.
Maybe things will turn out alright after all.
But, no amount of sibling comradery will make her not hate war games. Usually, Juliette spends Capture the Flag in a comfy grove somewhere with a nail file in her hand. Judging from Quintus' attitude today, though, that doesn't look like it's going to be an option. She's fidgeting irritably with her armor when the instructor steps up to explain the game.
"You will be in teams of two," Quintus announces. Julie visibly relaxes, turning to Silena with a smile. Excited murmurs start to buzz through the crowd. "Which have already been chosen."
Well, crud.
"AWWWWW!"
"Your goal is simple: collect the gold laurels without dying. The wreath is wrapped in a silk package, tied to the back of one of the monsters. There are six monsters. Each has a silk package. Only one holds the laurels. You must find the wreath before the other teams. And, of course...you will have to slay the monster to get it, and stay alive."
Juliette's heart starts pounding nervously as excited whispers ripple through the group. That sounds like a lot of combat for a girl who passed out last time she used her powers.
"I will now announce your partners. There will be no trading. No switching. No complaining."
"Arrooooof" Quintus' hellhound, Mrs. O'Leary howls before she starts scarfing down pizza off one of the tables. Julie cracks a grin.
Quintus starts reading off pairs. She bounces nervously on her toes. When Silena gets paired with Beckendorf, Julie wants to throw a tantrum and scream until everyone agrees they can be partners instead. She doesn't. Mostly because of the way her sister's face turns red when Beckendorf beams at her from across the crowd. The same thing happens with Percy and Annabeth, and Juliette has to wonder if Quintus is trying to do Cabin 10's job for them.
"Juliette Aster with William Solace"
Julie startles at her name. Oh, thank gods. She can handle Will Solace. He looks just as close to throwing up as she is.
The son of Apollo is a few months younger than Julie, and is insanely intelligent. The two of them have always been cordial whenever Juliette has visited the infirmary in the past. He's quieter than his older brothers, but always quick with a smile and a gentle touch when he heals. Julie likes him.
Will weaves his way towards her through the crowd, his helmet slipping sideways off his head. He doesn't catch it.
"Hey, Juliette. Do you, uh, know where you wanna start?" He asks nervously.
"Wanna find a good tree to hide in?" She offers.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"He did not!"
"He did! It was insane. Maggie was so angry, Lee and Michael had to pull her off of him before she actually gouged his eyes out. And he was right back in the infirmary once Trisha got done with him. Ares girls are terrifying." He shudders with a grin. Julie laughs and tosses an acorn off the high branch they're sitting on.
"Dan completely deserved those beatings." She defends. Will grins.
"Yeah, he really did. It was kind of satisfying." He chuckles.
They grin stupidly at each other for a beat, and Julie finally spits out the question that's been driving her crazy.
"Why have we never hung out?" She asks. "This is great."
Will sighs. "I don't really talk to anyone but my siblings, I guess. We're just always so busy. I hope you know, though," He looks at her with a smile. "I don't have a problem with you."
She snorts, but nods gratefully. "Good to know. Maybe I'll come bug you more often then."
Will's eyes widen. "Oh, please do. You wouldn't be bugging me, and maybe if they see signs of an active social life, my brothers will let me have more nights off."
Julie's about to reply when two figures come crashing through the brush below them, screaming their heads off.
"I TOLD YOU DON'T CRUSH IT!"
"I AM SORRY! I THOUGHT CRUSHING WOULD BE FAST!"
Grover? Tyson?
The satyr and cyclops are sprinting for their lives. Grover looks like he's about to puke, glancing back every few feet, and Tyson is stumbling on every root and rock they pass, a silk bag clutched in his hands. Juliette leans over the branch.
"What are you guys running from?" She calls down.
Grover looks up at her and gasps. He grabs Tyson's sleeve and starts to pull him to another large oak tree. "Tree! Tree! Get in the tree!" He yelps.
Grover pushes the cyclops up into the branches and follows quickly behind just as half a dozen enormous ants come scuttling into the area. Grover screams again.
"CLIMB FASTER!"
"I AM TRYING! THE BRANCHES ARE LITTLE!"
Will and Juliette exchange horrified eye contact.
"They know ants can climb, right?" Will asks weakly.
"Oh, boy." Julie whimpers.
Grover and Tyson are about 20 feet up the main trunk now, and the ants are gathering around the base of it like a school of sharks. Will breathes out sharply.
"Those are myrmekes. Their chiton's nearly impenetrable." He whispers. Julie replies with some choice words in Ancient Greek. They both knock arrows anyway. He glances over. "I don't know if this is a personal subject, but can you, like, transform?" He asks.
Julie huffs. "I can, but it only happens when I'm upset. Like really upset."
"And you're not upset enough?"
"No, I've actually really enjoyed our conversation."
"Awe, me too-"
CRACK
The branch Tyson had just grabbed on to snaps. In near slow motion, Tyson slides down the trunk of the tree like a fireman pole, taking out every smaller branch on his way down. And also Grover. They hit the ground 10 seconds later, Tyson's entire 6'5" self plopped on Grover's lap as they stare at each other in terror. Like a scene from a horror movie, they both slowly turn to look at the six myrmekes now drooling down at them.
"JULIE, GET UPSET NOW!"
"THAT'S NOT HOW EMOTIONS WORK, WILL!"
They both let their arrows fly. Julie's bounces harmlessly off the armor of one, but Will's lands in the soft tissue between the plates of another. It chatters angrily, turning to charge at the two of them instead. Tyson gets up and starts punching the others away. Grover's club is nowhere to be seen, so he starts chucking rocks at the bugs' eyes.
They are doing no damage at all.
Juliette's starting to panic now, watching two of the myrmekes begin to climb up the base of the tree she and Will are sitting in. The healer turns to her as he nocks another arrow.
"What if you just try?"
"Oh, yeah, why didn't I think of that?!" She snaps, loosing her arrow. Will grunts in frustration.
"Have you? Have you ever just tried?" He asks.
"Of course I-" Julie freezes. Wait a minute. Has she?
Thinking back on it, she's pretty sure she's only ever transformed when she's been really upset. Or around someone else upset. Or being threatened into it. Has she ever just done it because she wanted to?
No, she hasn't. It's scary and painful. But, right now, it might be all that can keep her friends from getting hurt.
She slams her bow into Will's hands and squeezes her eyes shut. How does she even do this? What is she supposed to think about? Will it just happen if she wills it to?
Below them, she hears Tyson cry out in pain. The sound slices into Julie's heart, and that's all it takes.
Green scales sprout on Julie's cheeks, but this time, it only tickles. Her limbs elongate, her spine stretches, her pupils thin into serpentine slits. The myrmekes freeze in place. In moments, in place of a skinny 12 year old kid, sits a massive cobra-headed wyvern.
With a powerful flap of her wings, Juliette lands on two feet in the center of the group of ants and lets out a bellowing roar. Spittle flies from her forked tongue, smoking venom dripping past her fangs and spreading the stink of sulfur throughout the forest. There's a moment when the myrmekes look at one another, as if in silent conversation to decide "you think we can take this chick?" before they back up at a frantic pace and disappear back in the direction they came from.
Julie shrinks back down to herself as soon as they're gone. Grover throws himself at her.
"You're my favorite dragon! Best dragon! Even better than Peleus!" He cries into her shoulder. Tyson stumbles over and wraps them in a group hug too.
"Wyvern." Julie corrects tiredly, black spots dancing in her vision.
Will hops down from the tree a few moments later, jogging over with a bright laugh. "That was awesome! I knew you could do it!" He cheers.
Julie goes pink at all of their praise. She points down at the bag in Tyson's hand. "Is that it?" She asks.
Grover's face falls. "Yeah. It feels kinda wrong for us to keep it now, though. You guys just saved our butts."
Tyson nods. "Jewel should have it." He holds the bag out for her to take. She smiles at them and accepts, Will whooping in the background.
It's a sweet thought, but Clarisse kicks their butts on the way back into Camp and takes the laurel anyway. Rude.
Julie's frustration gives way to concern very quickly when Chiron tells them Percy and Annabeth aren't back yet. They all split into search teams, scouring the forest for the missing pair. Juliette's practically dead on her feet by the time a horn blows to signal that they've found them nearly an hour of aimless wandering later.
Julie's banished from the Big House for a few hours while they hold a War Council. She's petty, so she spends the whole time sitting on the porch steps repainting her nails. The worst part of transforming is that she can never keep the polish from cracking. Maybe if she has Silena paint her claws while she's in beast form, it'll shrink down perfectly when she turns human. Or would that just cover her whole hand in polish?
Why is life so difficult?
The council lets out eventually, and Percy plops down beside her on the steps, wringing his hands anxiously.
"You're stressed. Are you ever not stressed?" Julie asks rudely, blowing on her freshly pink nails. Percy chuckles.
"No."
"What is it this time?"
He sighs, kicking his feet onto the same level as them and leaning his back against Julie's shoulder. His sudden weight jostles her, smudging the polish on her left hand.
"Ugh! Why do you hate me?" She groans. He ignores her.
"Annabeth's leading a quest into the Labyrinth. She's seeing the Oracle right now." He says tiredly.
Julie rolls her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" He doesn't respond. She frowns in concern. "You know she'll be fine, right? And she's obviously going to pick you to go with her."
He looks up at her, baby seal eyes on full display. "I just want her to be safe. Us to be safe."
Julie sighs, fixing her last nail and setting down the polish. "Percy, I know it sucks, but we're like the #1 and #2 demigods on the 'who doesn't get to be safe' list. We should probably get used to that. 'Safe' doesn't happen for us." She tries to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She's not sure how well she does.
"Well, you're a ray of sunshine today."
"Hey, do you want the truth or not?"
"Why can't you ever just lie to make me feel better?"
"I can do that. Those are cool shoes, by the way."
"Really?! Thanks, I-...I hate you."
"Now who's the liar?"
Percy grumbles under his breath and sits back up. He rakes a hand through his hair and looks up at the attic window anxiously. Julie sighs at him dramatically.
"Go take a walk or something, please? One transformation is enough for today." She says, swiping away his anxious aura tendrils before they can stick to her skin. He looks over sharply.
"You went beast-mode today-?"
"Please stop calling it that-"
"-What happened? Are you okay-?"
"-Makes me sound like a lame Power Ranger or something-"
"-Juliette! Answer." He says sternly. "Or I'll tattle to Mom."
She groans. "Fine. It wasn't a big deal! Grover and Tyson got into trouble with some myrmekes, so I just greened-out and saved them. No biggie. I'm just a little tired now." Percy's eyebrows reach his hairline.
"Okay, one, don't call it that either - honestly, you've been going to public school, how do you not know what that phrase means? - two, what do you mean you 'just' transformed and saved them?" He asks.
She grins at him shyly. "I mean I just did it. I just decided to. And it worked. I know I'm supposed to wait for Chiron or Mr. D, but it was kind of a heat of the moment thing, and Tyson was getting hurt, so..." Julie trails off and glances up at Percy. He's grinning like a madman.
"That's awesome, Jules! You're getting stronger! You and me should train more sometime, and you can show me how it works. Ooooh, I bet you could use that in the chariot races! That would be so kickass. I want you on my team next time, and we're gonna try it. That is so cool." He rambles at her. Julie smiles to herself.
"I don't think Chiron will let me pull the chariot, Percy. That seems like cheating."
"Hey, if the Demeter cabin can use their weird plant powers, I don't see why you can't 'green-out,' as you put it."
The quest group heads out the next morning from Zeus' Fist. The entrance to the Labyrinth has been surrounded by tactical tents by the Ares and Athena cabins. As they say goodbye to the questers, the Apollo kids are setting up a temporary infirmary a little ways north of the break in the rocks in case of a surprise attack. The sight makes Julie's lungs drop out of her butt.
She hugs Grover and Tyson goodbye. Annabeth and Percy she lingers longer with. She squeezes Annabeth around the middle tightly before they part, looking between her and Percy.
"You guys take care of each other, okay?" She requests shakily. Percy grins at her.
"Duh. We'll be back before you know it."
Annabeth just gives her a pale-faced smile and nods. The fear in her aura makes Juliette's hands tremble. As she watches their backs disappear into the Labyrinth, she tries to still them. They'll be okay. They always are.
Something soft smacks into the side of her head. Juliette scrambles to catch it. Bandages. She looks up in confusion.
Michael Yew is staring at her with an eyebrow quirked, a grinning Will Solace beside him. "You gonna make yourself useful, Aster?" Michael deadpans. "Or are you gonna sit there and fret like some Civil War housewife?"
What an oddly specific comparison.
Julie smiles. She approaches the tent with purpose in her step. "Okay, okay, what do you need?"