Champion of Love

Luke, Babe, Let's Talk About This

I hope I've done a sufficient job of making you sad over Luke's impending betrayal. He didn't have much attention, but when he did, I gave him more life and personality. Enjoy!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Percy woke up a whopping sixteen hours after he collapsed into his bunk to his cabinmates watching him very closely. He sat up and rubbed the grit out of his eyes, yawning wide and stretching with a huge sigh.

He looked up at his adoptive siblings blearily. "What?" He asked, voice rough from sleep.

Adrian sat on his bunk and hugged the boy to him tightly. "We missed you, little brother." He sighed contentedly.

"By the looks of it, you completed the quest! We're so happy for you, Percy!!" Mira cheered excitedly, poking at the golf laurel still glittering in the Champion's tangled hair.

Silena sat on Percy's other side. "And we're glad you're safe and sound, now." She told him, hugging him over Adrian.

Percy looked at all his siblings and noticed a couple new faces had joined them while he was gone. The new kids hung back and merely looked on curiously.

Percy let his siblings each come up and either hug him, high-five him, or pat his head fondly. They seemed to have genuinely missed his presence. It felt....nice. Warm. Sweet.

Percy could t stop the smile that made its way across his face no matter how hard he tried. He heard a click and looked to Silena, who was grinning as she pulled a piece of blank paper out of a polaroid camera. She shook it and then gave a pleased smile at how it turned out.

She added the picture to the wall beside her bunk, along with all the pictures she had with her dad, half-brother on her dad's side, and all her siblings and friends at Camp. In the newest picture, Percy was surrounded by his siblings and had a purely happy smiled lighting his face. He looked like a happy little boy–with a few small scars on his face, of course.

"That one's my favorite so far." She told him fondly. "Because it so hard to get you to look like that. I hope I can take more like that one." She hugged him one last time before telling him to go and find his friends and Chiron. They'd alerted the centaur and Mr.F of his return when they'd found him sleeping in his bunk, but hadn't told Annabeth and Grover yet.

§~•~§~•~§

"Pretty Boy!!!" Annabeth flew at him and before he knew it, Percy was being squeezed to death in a hug via Annabeth Chase. She let go of him and smiled wide. "Thank the gods!"

"Per-r-r-cy!!" Grover cried with the same enthusiasm. The satyr squeezed Percy in a hug and even picked him up off the ground. Percy let out a surprised laugh and hugged him back.

"So our quest was a success?" Annabeth asked next.

"Yes! Zeus has his bolt and they've decided I'm useful enough for them to keep around. And uh," His cheeks colored as he looked down at his shoes. "I decided to stay here. T-To train and everything, you know."

He looked up when his friends stayed silent and say them giving him knowing smiles. He groaned. They only laughed and pulled him in for a group hug.

When Chrion saw the three together, he gave them the rest of the afternoon off and they got to wander about Camp, greeting people who congratulated them. Ares Cabin halted at Percy fiercely, so Percy figured they knew about their Father's pathetic loss.
Whatever. Percy had friends, he didn't need everyone in Camp on his side.

They stopped by the arena where Luke taught his swordfighting classes and he let his class take a break so he could talk to teg three questers.

"You guys are back!! I take it things went well, then?" He guessed. They all nodded. "I'm glad!"