ʏօʊռɢ ɮʟօօɖ ♆ 𝗣. 𝗝𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗦𝗢𝗡

♆ 𝗜𝗜. 𝗪𝗘 𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗨𝗣 𝗔 𝗕𝗨𝗦

╝♅╚

***

AS I WAS PACKING, my mind was running rampant with all the ideas of how it could go wrong. This was very different from any hunts I've been on with Dean and Dad. A little part of me is telling me to stay at camp and enjoy my summer, but the other voice is nagging at me, telling me that this is only the beginning. I shook my head as I packed the last of my things. I packed my grimoire, the dagger Dad gave me,   some spare clothes, and toiletry items Annabeth and I might need (you never know what will happen).

Sully would be staying at the camp, being looked after by Alabaster. I was reluctant to leave him, but Al said he wouldn't mind looking after Sullivan. After packing most of my things, Chiron gave me some ambrosia and nectar for emergencies only. I still had some money left over from what Dean had gotten (hustled) from a while ago, and the camp store lent me more change and drachmas.

I said my quick goodbyes to my friends and the other campers, giving the entire camp a once over, and headed to meet Chiron by Thalia's tree. Argus was standing right next to Chiron, and I could feel Percy's confused stare at the sight of Argus. Argus was the camp's head of security and had eyes all over his body. But today, he was wearing a suit and tie, so all you could see was the extra eyes on his face, neck, and hands.

"This is Argus," Chiron informed Percy. "He will drive you into the city, and, er, well, keep an eye on things."

I heard footsteps behind us. We all turned to see Luke running up the hill, carrying a pair of red Converse.

"Hey!" he panted. "Glad I caught you."

I saw Annabeth blush, which she started to do more lately when Luke was around.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke said. "And I thought... um, maybe you could use these."

He handed the Converse to Percy, which seemed to be a standard pair of shoes, until he said, "Maia!" 

White bird wings sprouted out from the sides of the shoe, startling Percy so suddenly that he dropped them. The shoes flapped around on the ground until the wings folded up and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled fondly, "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days..." His fond smile faltered, and his expression turned sad. I frowned slightly at Luke's words. We had previously discussed his father and the 'relationship' (or lack thereof).

I saw Percy blush slightly, making me smirk.

"Hey, man," Percy said. "Thanks."

"Listen, Percy..." Luke looked a little uncomfortable. "A lot hopes are riding on you. So just... kill some monsters for me, okay?

Percy and Luke shook hands. Luke patted Grover's head between his growing horns, then gave a warm goodbye hug to Annabeth, who blushed even further, but their hug seemed to linger slightly. Then he brought me into his arms and hugged me tight before letting go and doing the handshake we came up with when I first stayed a year-round at camp.

After Luke was gone, Percy turned to Annabeth, "You're hyperventilating." He pointed out.

"Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

"Oh... why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

Annabeth had stomped down the other side of the hill, where a white SUV waited on the shoulder of the road. Argus followed, jingling his car keys.

Percy faced Chiron with the shoes in his grip. "I won't be able to use these, will I?"