𝔗𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔯𝔶 - 𝔉𝔢𝔪𝔒ℭ𝔵𝔏𝔢𝔬 𝔙𝔞𝔩𝔡𝔢𝔷

20. Why Didn't I Think of That?

That afternoon was one of the happiest I'd ever spent at camp, which maybe goes to show, you never know when your world is about to be rocked to pieces.

Grover announced that he'd be able to spend the rest of the summer with us before resuming his first quest for Pan. His bosses at the Council of Cloven Elders were so impressed that he hadn't gotten himself killed and had cleared the way for future searchers, that they granted him a two-month furlough and a new set of reed pipes. The only bad news: Grover insisted on playing those pipes all afternoon long, and his musical skills hadn't improved much. He played "YMCA", and the strawberry plants started going crazy, wrapping around our feet like they were trying to strangle us. I couldn't blame them.

Grover told Percy he could dissolve the empathy link between them, now that they were face to face, but Percy said it was okay. Grover put down his reed pipes and stared at him. "But, if I get in trouble again, you'll be in danger, Percy! You could die!"

"If you get in trouble again, I want to know about it. And I'll come help you again, G-man. I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the end he agreed not to break the link. He went back to playing "YMCA" for the strawberry plants. I didn't need an empathy link with the plants to know how they felt about it.

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Later on during archer class, Chiron pulled me and Percy aside and told us he'd fixed our problems with Meriwether Prep. The school no longer thought we bombed the gym. The police were no longer looking for us.

"How'd you manage that?" I asked,

Chiron's eyes twinkled. "I merely suggested the mortals had seen something different on that day—a furnace explosion that was not your fault."

"You just said that and they bought it?"

"I manipulated the Mist. Some day, when you're both ready, I'll show you how it's done."

"You mean, we could go back to Meriwether next year?"

Chiron raised his eyebrows. "Oh, no, they've still expelled you both. Your headmaster, Mr. Bonsai, said you had bad juju, and karma that disrupted the school's educational aura. But you're not in any legal trouble, which was a relief to your mother. Oh, and speaking of your mother. . ."

He unclipped his cell phone from his quiver and handed it to me. "It's high time you two called her."

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The worst part was the beginning—the "Percy-Achilles-Jackson-and-Kiera-Nyx-Jackson-what-were-you-two-thinking-do-you-have-any-idea-how-worried-I-was-sneaking-off-to-camp-without-permission-going-on-dangerous-quests-and-scaring-me-half-to-death" part.

But finally she paused to catch her breath. "Oh, I'm just glad you're safe!"

That's the great thing about our mom. She's no good at staying angry. She tries, but it just isn't in her nature.

"We're sorry, Mom." I said.

"We won't scare you again." Percy added.

"Don't promise me that, Percy. You know very well it will only get worse." She tried to sound casual about it, but I could tell she was pretty shaken up.

I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but I knew she was right. Being a half-blood, we would always be doing things that scared her. And as we got older, the dangers would just get greater.

"We could come home for a while," I offered.

"No, no. Stay at camp. Train. Do what you need to do. But you will  come home for the next school year?"