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—JUDITH wasted no time getting off of her centaur's back, whose name she learned was Kladion ( with a 'K.' He specifically emphasized this fact ). Instead of giving a polite thank you for his graciousness, she high-fived him and ran off, only one thing on her mind.
It wasn't hard to find her sister as she was surrounded by campers, all of them eager to see the Golden Fleece in all its glory. Judith pushed her way through, not minding the grunts and protests she received in return. If they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't say anything about it. She had just helped save the camp, she deserved some respect.
Clarisse lightened at the sight of her. "Jude!"
They did an elbow bump, something the Ares cabin alumni had started as a greeting long before the current campers were born. "I'm glad you made it back but how ..." She trailed off in bafflement.
Judith gestured over to the herd of party ponies at the bottom of the hill. "They're incredibly fast." She avoided mentioning Luke and the minor held up they had.
"Well, good to see you," she said before turning to drape the Fleece over Thalia's pine tree. There was silence as everything around them sharpened into focus. Things that were bright became lighter, and the shadows became darker; giving more contrast to the sickly world they had become accustomed to the past few months.
Everyone cheered, all moving to fist bump the daughters of Ares for their success.
There were a few of Hermes campers that approached after the cheering died down a bit. Judith's breath trembled and she twisted her leather arm guard every which way until Clarisse snatched her wrist in her hand to stop her anxious movements. They didn't ask anything but Judith knew what was on their mind; Clarisse sullenly shook her head, feeling it was her responsibility considering she was the leader. The campers closed their eyes and took deep breaths.
"He was a good one," Clarisse made an effort.
Judith could only think of how she'd also gotten to see Luke, their other brother ( if they even considered him that anymore ); the two boys couldn't be more different if they tried. Bryce was good where Luke was not. Bryce didn't deserve his fate.
That night, there was a funeral held for him by the lake. A white and yellow shroud was made up, a caduceus stitched on it perfectly, the symbol of Hermes. The newly appointed heads of their cabin, the Stoll brothers, lit the pyre and stood back. All Judith could think in that moment was how he had wanted to come back and tell his family that he was a hero.
Well, he was a hero. To her, he was.
Judith tried to steel her face through the whole thing, but she had to leave early and go for a walk. Her throat was starting to burn with an unkempt fire.
