Miss Quinn

57 ~ The Chariot Races

Emma, Annabeth, Percy, Grover, and Tyson arrived in Long Island just after Clarisse, thanks to the centaurs' travel powers. Percy rode on Chiron's back, which Emma knew must have been awkward, since Percy had told her about Chiron's talk. Emma knew it had been difficult for Chiron to tell Percy. And he didn't seem to want to push Chiron with more questions. Kronos, the evil titan lord who wanted to destroy Western Civilization wasn't the kind of father one talked about in a loving or admiring way.

When the group got to camp, the centaurs were anxious to meet Dionysus. They'd heard he threw some really wild parties, but they were disappointed. The wine god was in no mood to celebrate as the whole camp gathered at the top of Half-Blood Hill.

The camp had been through a hard two weeks. The arts and crafts cabin had burned to the ground from an attack by a Draco Aionius (which, Percy mumbled, was Latin for "really-big-lizard-with-breath-that-blows-stuff-up").

The Big House's rooms were overflowing with wounded. David and Will, who were the best healers besides Emma, had been working overtime performing first aid. Everybody looked weary and battered as they crowded around Thalia's tree.

The moment Clarisse draped the Golden Fleece over the lowest bough, the moonlight seemed to brighten, turning from gray to liquid silver. A cool breeze rustled in the branches and rippled through the grass, all the way into the valley. Everything came into sharper focus - the glow of the fireflies down in the woods, the smell of the strawberry fields, the sound of the waves on the beach.

Gradually, the needles on the pine tree started turning from brown to green.

Everybody cheered. It was happening slowly, but there could be no doubt - the Fleece's magic was seeping into the tree, filling it with new power and expelling the poison.

Chiron ordered a twenty-four/seven guard duty on the hilltop, at least until he could find an appropriate monster to protect the Fleece. He said he'd place an ad in Olympus Weekly right away.

In the meantime, Clarisse was carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where she was honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire.

Nobody gave Emma,  Annabeth, or Percy a second look. It was as if they'd never left. In a way, that was the best thank-you anyone could give them, because if they admitted the group had snuck out of camp to do the quest, Dionysus would have to expel them. And really, Emma didn't want any more attention. It felt good to be just one of the campers for once.

Later that night, as the campers were roasting s'mores and listening to the Stoll brothers tell a ghost story about an evil king who was eaten alive by demonic breakfast pastries, Clarisse shoved Percy from behind and whispered in his ear, "Just because you were cool one time, Jackson, don't think you're off the hook with Ares. I'm still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverize you."

He gave her a grudging smile.

"What?" she demanded.

"Nothing, " Percy said. "Just good to be home."

"And you, Quinn," Clarisse turned to Emma, ".... thanks."

"For what?" Emma asked.

"You convinced fish-face over here to let me take the Fleece to Camp."

"Oh," Emma said, "You're welcome."

The next morning, after the party ponies headed back to Florida, Chiron made a surprise announcement: the chariot races would go ahead as scheduled. Everyone had figured they were history now that Tantalus was gone, but completing them did feel like the right thing to do, especially now that Chiron was back and the camp was safe.