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CHAPTER FOURTEEN fear of the un(known)
——— CONNOR! ( CAMP HALF BLOOD )
CAMP HALF BLOOD was, bar the snow on the strawberry fields outside the boundary, the same as ever. Due to the enchantment on the camp, it was always nice and sunny, warm enough to wear shorts and t-shirts and walk around without the prospect of whether it would snow or rain, so that demigods could train all days of the year. Sometimes it got old, the constant of one weather, but when that happened there was always the chance of going down to the Long Island Sound, where the enchantment seemed to fade and the Camp was still near enough. The sun is just rising over the horizon when Connor and Verona arrive back, and they land on their winged shoes just in front of the camp border, Connor grasping onto Verona's arm and pulling it when she shrieks as she lands. They cross over it, relief flooding Connor at the feeling of being safe and enclosed within the magical boundary again.
It was by a miracle that Annabeth, Percy and and Grover seemed to arrive at the same time Verona and Connor did, all looking terribly worn out and Percy and Annabeth sporting newly minted identical streaks of grey in their hair that Connor had a feeling didn't come from a spontaneously done dye job. Verona let go of Connor's arm which she had held for balance and ran forward, enclosing her arms around Annabeth as quickly as she could and not letting go for almost two minutes — Connor was pretty sure she cried a little bit, but he didn't tease her this time. He was just glad to be back home.
They reached the Big House together, Connor and Verona filling the trio in on their adventure and in return being filled in on what went down whilst they went to rescue Annabeth, and how Luke had met his end. When they reached the Big House, the first person Connor spotted was Travis standing outside with his hair cut a little bit shorter since the last time Connor had seen him a week ago almost. He was arguing incessantly with Clarisse La Rue about something Connor was sure had to do with his pranking and the Ares cabin, but the second he spotted his younger brother, Travis ran forward and enclosed his arms around him, hugging him tightly and telling him how much he missed him. If he spotted the shoes their father had given him, he didn't say anything but a flicker of recognition ignited in his features.
Travis had never wanted to meet Hermes, that had always been Connor's dream. Connor's older brother, though hurt by Hermes' abandonment when they were children, had very vaguely remembered when he had come back when Travis was two, and even more so he did not seem to be hurt as he was angry at the Gods. Angry at the Gods for not claiming all the people who slept day after day in Cabin Eleven, waiting for the day their parents chose to claim them. It was one of the reasons Luke had been convinced he should form the dark side, and Connor could not disagree with him there — all that had been wrong were his methods, never the ideology.
