We're back

7) Luke POV

(A/N the next 3 chapters happen at the same time)
The sunset over the valley of Camp Half Blood was a familiar and welcome sight. The lake glittered green across the valley, the scent of strawberries wafted into my nose and smoke puffed out of the forges in the Hephaestus cabin. A few yards away from us, two campers were walking together, laughing. Beckendorf let out a snort then said
"Well Luke, looks like you owe me 10 drachmas." My eyes widened as I realized who the two campers were. Travis Stoll and Katie Gardener. A small smile crept onto my face as the pair got closer. Travis looked up and spotted us. His eyes widened and he started whispering to Katie. Katie looked up and gasped. She ran over and tackled Silena in a hug.
"Oh my gods, it's you!" She said happily. Travis stood back and smiled at us.
"We have to show Annabeth!" Gasped Katie, dragging Silena with her. Travis laughed, and the three of us followed the girls down the hill. Camp Half Blood was alive and well. Dozens of armor clad campers streamed past us on their way to the training arena. Will Solace sprinted by, an ace bandage and a bag of ambrosia in his hands. A few campers sat lazily in the shade of a tree as we made the familiar walk to the Athena cabin. I barely registered the new cabins as in front of the Athena cabin was her. Annabeth sat on a bench outside, typing frantically on her laptop. I was so excited to see her that the dark circles under her eyes and the way her hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in a week barely registered with me.
"Annabeth!" I yelled, sprinting towards her at full speed. 
Annabeth looked up, surprised, then she spotted me and her face broke out into a huge smile. I tackled her in a hug.
"Luke?" She asked "is it really you?" I nodded as her eyes began to water with tears. She tightly hugged me then pulled away and asked
"How are you back!?"
"Long story," I said sheepishly
She arched her eyebrow and pulled me in for another hug.
"I missed you." She said
"I missed you too." I replied.
"Where's Percy?" I asked. Annabeth froze then got a miserable look on her face.
"What happened?" I asked worriedly.
"I don't know. Annabeth admitted "one day he was here, and the next he just disappeared."
I looked at her, shocked.
"We have been looking everywhere for him..."
"Oh Annabeth," I pulled her in for another hug as she began to cry. It was a rare occasion to see Annabeth Chase cry, but I had known her since she was seven, so I knew she trusted me enough to cry in front of me. Silena and Beckendorf had disappeared into the crowd, and the crowd had dispersed, so it was just me and Annabeth sitting on the deserted lawn in front of the Athena cabin. When she finally stopped crying, she said
"So how did you come back?"
"Through Tartarus." I said simply.
"You survived Tartarus!?" She practically screamed
"Well yeah, we were already dead, so we couldn't die in Tartarus anyways."
Her stormy gray eyes widened and she asked "What was it like?"
"Hell." I answered
"Well duh," she said. We laughed. And we stayed like that for a few hours, just me and Annabeth, talking and laughing the night away.