Gracie Jackson

~ Part 24 ~

I woke up, like actually, woke up. I sat up with a start as if I had just woken up from a dream, although I was sure that all of this wasn't a dream because I was sitting in a coffin. With a shock, I realized my parents were staring at me horrified. Nobody moved. I looked down at myself and realized that I still had all the cuts and bruises from my fight with the Minotaur, except my hair was neatly done and I was wearing a plain white romper.

"What the heck am I wearing?" Both my parents rushed forward and cried with me in their arms. "Nobody can know I'm back. I'll be sent back into the mist."

Once I had climbed out of my coffin I explained to them what had happened in the mist, although I left out the fact that Nico was in there with me. If they knew Nico was being possessed they would try to help him and the Eidolon would just switch bodies.

"This will keep you hidden," my mom handed me an old New York Yankees hat. I shook my head in disbelief.

"No way. You're giving me your invisibility cap?! I thought you guys didn't want us sneaking around. You legit locked it in a safe." My dad laughed and my mom punched him.

"I know, it's just we trust you and we don't want to have to say goodbye for real." I hugged her and started to put on the invincibility cap. "Let no one look inside that coffin. Or this could all fail."

I ran across camp and not a single camper noticed me. For once I actually felt normal. I had to play my next move just right, I was trying to find a way to let Connor and Jasper know that I was back and what we had to do. I finally decided to rip off the bandaid. They were sitting together at the Zeus table alone, I did the logical thing and sat across from them.

"Dude we gotta keep going. We know she's alive and that all that matters!" Jasper was sitting in front of a pile of trash jewelry. (Not a good sign.) Connor shook his head.

"I know, but we only have two days until the prophecy unfolds. Gracie is the center of that prophecy, what if she is in danger?" I caught myself staring at Connor then shook my head. Think Gracie think! Then an idea hit me. Literally. A plastic water bottle that was meant to hit Jasper passed by his head and hit mine. I took the water bottle and started pouring water on the table. I made the word "quiet" in the water and they both immediately shut their mouths. I changed the water to say, "I'm back, meet me in Cabin 3." Jasper hit Connors arm and motioned for them to leave. Lucky for me nobody noticed them get up and leave, I guess that's the perk of having no other friends.

I had never been in the Poseidon cabin so I wasn't really sure what to expect, but whatever it was it sure wasn't what I saw. There was a Minotaur Horn permanently hung above one of the beds with a photo of my dad and Uncle Tyson. Sea horses and other sea creatures hung from the ceiling as little glass figurines. It was hard to believe that this was the place my dad practically grew up in. I loved it. My admiration was interrupted by Connor and Jasper walking in.

"So do you think she will like, contact us from the dead again?" Sometimes Connor was so ignorant, that's why I love him. (Hold up did I really just say that?)

I figured Jasper would have some sense but he didn't speak. Boys. I covered their mouths and shook my head so the yankees cap would fall off. They both screamed as if they had seen a ghost. Oh wait they sorta did. Oops.

"Gracie? Oh my gods you really are alive." I ran over and hugged Jasper while Connor just stood there. Honestly I didn't know what to say to him. He and Jasper were my best friends, but the feeling was different with Connor. Not stronger, just different. We both just kinda stood there and stared at each other. Until Connor finally spoke.

"You look nice. Your eyes are finally showing." He smiled and I ran into his arms. Jasper stared at the figurines hanging from the ceiling. I think it wasn't until then that I truly understood how I felt about Connor. Jasper's head jolted and he filled the silence.

"So, what do we do next?" I explained everything I found out while stuck in the mist, like how Nico was the "leader" and how we had to find a way to get him out. Connor's face filled with rage.

"Let's do this, hands in." He put his hand out and me and Jasper put our hands on top. "On three, one two three!" So much happened. It was chaotic. Jasper yelled something along the lines of "Pollution sucks!", Connor yelled "Go team!", and I ended up yelling "I'm hungry!" but it worked for us. I put my mom's Yankees cap back on and ran alongside Connor and Jasper. We were headed for the old Oracle cave. I call it the old Oracle Cave because there hasn't been an Oracle at Camp Halfblood in forever, not since Rachel Elizabeth Dare went to California. Since then the Oracle just stays there and performs the auguries. I figured that if an Eidolon was in Nico's body they would make a home in the darkest place at Camp. That place was the old Oracle Cave.