𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐀'𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐗! heroes of olympus²

ii. ten different ways

Because she should be thrilled. Alone with Percy? That was exactly what Claire wanted right now. But instead, she glanced down at the hand that held hers, and she felt this bitter resentment rise up her throat to see the marks burned into his skin. A SPQR tattoo just like Jason's. Unlike Camp Half-Blood, that passed out commemorative beads to represent each summer spent, Camp Jupiter seared years of service onto a soldier's arm ... as if to say: you belong to us. Permanently.

Hearing him speak so enthusiastically about Camp Jupiter made her scared in a way she could not quite explain. What about Camp Half-Blood▬their camp? Their home? What about the docks where they kissed? Or the campfires they snuggled at? What about the grounds they trained and they laughed and they fought and they got to know each other? The woods they chased each other through, never once looking back.

But she didn't tell him this. No, of course not. This place had become important to him▬these people. And while she was ashamed to be fearful of how much, she refused to ruin this day for him. She refused to make him feel bad about it. So, Claire smiled and nodded again, "Yeah. Okay."

She found herself fixing the praetor's robe around his shoulders, trying very hard not to show how troubled she was at the sight of it. Percy watched her, "Uh▬" he began and she stopped, meeting his gaze again. She watched him take a sudden nervous breath. He started to play with her fingers▬she noticed his leg was bouncing underneath the table.

Claire patiently waited for him to figure out the words he wanted to say. She knew all too well that their minds raced faster than they could talk. They were constantly sprinting in order to catch up.

Percy briefly closed his eyes, stopping his thought path to restart. Once he did, he squeezed her hand again and said to her, "I've been thinking," in a quiet voice. "Well▬I had this idea▬"

He stopped as Reyna called a toast to friendship. Claire threw her eyes up to the ceiling, wishing she could have waited at least a few seconds longer enough for Percy to finish what he wanted to say.

But she supposed all of that had to wait. There were more important things right now▬they needed to figure out a plan to stop the earth goddess from the destroying the world. They needed to join together▬to create peace within each other.

And so, they all introduced themselves and exchanged stories. Jason recounted how he arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory and the quest he ventured onto with Piper, Leo and Savreen to rescue Hera (or Juno▬it didn't really matter, they were both a pain in the demigod ass▬) from her prison at the Wolf House.

Octavian flushed bright red at this. He butted in with a screech of, "Impossible! That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there▬"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper cut him off, her words clipping off her tongue, "and blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish."

Octavian went to object, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. Leo sent him a glance of mock pity. Savreen subtly high-fived Piper under the table before sending Jason a thumbs-up to continue. Reyna eyed the group of them curiously▬her gaze locked onto the smile Piper gave Jason, reassuring and encouraging; and the confidence she held seemed to falter for the briefest of seconds▬so quick Claire almost didn't catch it.

"So," went on Jason, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands▬Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by ... what did he call it? Pulling up their roots."