SIXTEEN, luke
❀ ✿ ❀ ✿
ASTER DIDN'T REMOVE HER hand once from the armrest on the flight back home. She thought that Zeus would realize any minute that Percy—the sea spawn himself—was in his domain and would shoot them down. Even without his master bolt, Zeus could probably get creative when it came to killing them.
Surprisingly, they landed without any problems, and Aster was glad to get out of the plane as fast as possible. They took a cab into the city, stopping right in front of the Empire State Building. It looked the same as when Aster had last seen it, exactly six months ago, with storm clouds surrounding the tip.
Percy wanted Aster, Annabeth, and Grover to stay behind, for unknown reasons. When they protested, Percy just kept insisting that they had to—that despite all that they had been through together for these past two weeks, he had to do this part alone. He returned Annabeth and Aster's necklaces to them, as well as Grover's tin can, which he enjoyed as a nervous snack. They eventually stopped arguing and allowed Percy to go alone, and he disappeared into the doors of the building. Percy wanted them to go back to Chiron and tell him everything, as if he wanted them to stay behind in case he didn't come back. But he did, returning to camp safe and sound, returning only with solemn words from his father and ominous words from Aster's mother. Aster had pressed him to tell her what her mother had told him, but he wouldn't say a word.
The good news was that Percy and Aster were no longer the center of a crazy new cult, but victims of an angry man who had stolen them away. Percy Jackson was no longer a delinquent on the run, or the kidnapper of poor Aster Reed. The Mist had manipulated their journey into a sob story of four adolescents kidnapped by a terrible biker, the part of a ring of kidnappers related to human trafficking—which sounded more terrifying than the actual story. Percy was twisted into this hero that had saved his friends he had made along the way after stealing a pistol from his kidnapper (which Aster knew he didn't mind one bit) and had a shoot-out with him until they could be rescued by the proper authorities. Apparently, poor little Aster had been with this crazy kidnapper since she was seven, abducted in Vermont coincidentally on the day her father was arrested. And finally, they were free.
Annabeth, Aster, Percy, and Grover just milked the story as much as they could. Aster cried into Percy's shoulder, but she didn't know how fake that part was. His arm around her shoulder was enough to make Aster blush, so she hid it with tears.
"All I want," Percy had said, choking back his tears, "is to see my loving stepfather again. Every time I saw him on TV, calling me a delinquent punk, I knew... somehow... we would be okay. And I know he'll want to reward each and every person in this beautiful city of Los Angeles with a free major appliance from his store. Here's the phone number."
Percy had gotten his mother back through good fortune from Hades, and all was well. He had even told Aster that he wouldn't have to be worrying about his stepfather anymore.
They were the first demigods to return from a quest alive since Luke. As soon as they had told everything to Chiron, Aster rushed off to her cabin to see her siblings.
Before she'd even make it through the threshold, Aster was tackled in a large group hug, which brought a reluctant smile to her face. Billie and Poppy were crying, the younger girl squeezing Aster's leg like a python. Katie was trying her best not to look extremely relieved (but was failing), and Miranda had even baked a cake for her homecoming. After her siblings all had their fill of Aster, Steve gave her one final squeeze and made her promise to tell him all the details of the quest.
As camp tradition stated, Percy, Aster, Annabeth, and Grover all wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in their honor. They then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds their cabins had made in their absence, just in case they came back in a box.
Aster's shroud was beautiful—sage green silk with a bundle of wheat with a sickle stitched onto it, her mother's symbols—Percy had joked that it was a shame not to bury her in it. Aster elbowed him in the gut, and they both laughed (though his was a lot more strained).
Annabeth's was just as eye-catching as Asyer's, made of gray silk with embroidered owls. Percy, being the son of Poseidon, didn't have any cabin-mates, so the Ares cabin had so graciously volunteered to make his shroud. Aster snorted when she saw it, but held back the rest of her laughter because of a harsh glare from Percy. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle.
Percy looked like he had a lot of fun burning it.
While the Apollo cabin led the sing-along, passing out celebratory s'mores, Aster couldn't shake an ominous feeling. She heard incoherent whispers surrounding her, coming from the forest. She had excused herself from the fire to investigate them.
Aster made it to the tree line, and the whispers in her head only got louder, until she finally understood what they were saying.
It is only the beginning, daughter of Demeter. You have a long way to go.
Aster spun around, trying to pinpoint which tree it was coming from, but she couldn't with all of the trees whispering in her head.
Then, the whispering ceased. Aster felt a presence behind her and turned. Before her was a beautiful woman, a few inches taller than her. She had dark, coily hair and deeply tanned skin, and her eyes were a deep brown, not dissimilar to Aster's herself. In them she saw rich soil, fresh produce, and fields ready for harvest. The woman was dressed in olive green capris and a graphic t-shirt that read:
HAVE A GARDEN PARTY WITH ME
IT'S THYME TO TURNIP THE BEET.
"Hi mom," Aster said. She wasn't sure how else to address the goddess.
Demeter smiled warmly at Aster. "Hello, my daughter."
They stayed there for a moment, just staring at each other. Demeter seemed to be glowing, with all the success of the harvests thus far. The goddess spoke again, breaking the silence.
"I am very proud of you, Aster," Demeter said.
Aster felt tears lining her eyes, but she willed them not to fall. Those were the words she hadn't heard for a long time.
"Thanks mom," she murmured, but Demeter just waved her off.
"It is the truth," the goddess said. "But I am also here for a different reason. I have not had a daughter quite like you in centuries—not ever, I believe."
Aster frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The Fates won't allow me to tell you now, but Apollo has shown me your future—parts of it. You are destined for great things, child."
Aster was stunned. "Medusa called me something like 'protector.' She said I was a destroyer of all those like her. What does that mean?"
Demeter just frowned and stared at the ground. "I cannot discuss matters of the future with you, as much as I may want to. My brothers, your uncles, would have my head." She chuckled, but Aster wasn't very amused. "All I can say is you have a difficult road ahead of you, but embrace the unknown. Everything you will need will be at your disposal, when the time comes."
Aster blinked; that was helpful. "What does that mean? What time will come?"
Demeter simply shook her head. "All will be answered with time, child. When you plant a seed, you must wait for the crops to grow before the harvest can happen. You and the son of Poseidon have planted a seed, and you must wait." Demeter produced something from her back pocket—a pair of bronze garden shears. She handed them to Aster, who stared at them strangely.
"What's this for?"
"You will know, when the time is right."
Aster was really starting to get annoyed by all this mysterious "when the time is right" bullshit.
Just then, the garden shears shrunk into a simple gold bracelet with a small charm that resembled a bundle of wheat.
"Always wear it. Never take it off," Demeter explained. "They will transform when you need them most."
Aster didn't know what to say. Her mother was being very mysterious and she wanted to ask more questions, but she knew that it was better to just accept what the gods gave you. Her mother had already gone above standard divine parenting by even speaking to her.
Aster slid the bracelet onto her wrist and smiled at her mother. "Thank you, mom."
Demeter nodded and smiled warmly, and it felt like the morning sun shining on a fresh field of crops. She looked up at the sky suddenly, where a bolt of lightning flashed. "I must leave now; I have exhausted my time with you. Just remember, embrace the unknown. Your answers will be found there."
Aster knew that was her cue to look away, and she shielded her eyes, feeling the warmth from her mother's true immortal form. The light soon faded, and when Aster opened her eyes again, her mother was gone. Only a patch of barley had been left behind in her footsteps. A small chuckle escaped Aster's lips. Demeter and her barley.
Before Aster could begin to process the vague information that her mother had thrown at her, she heard her name being called.
"Aster! Are you here?"
"Yeah, right here."
Percy came into the cleaning. "Why'd you disappear like that? Annabeth and I were looking for you." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I-er... we were worried about you."
Aster smiled, cocking an eyebrow. Though the thought of Percy worrying for her made butterflies in her stomach, she ignored them. "I just heard some whispers. Thought I'd check it out."
Percy, who was probably well used to this by now, glanced around at the forest. "What did they say? Was it like what the pomegranate tree said in the Underworld? You still haven't told us what it said, by the way."
Aster's heart skipped a beat at the thought. "No, not like that. It just said that this was only the beginning, and I had a long way to go." She paused. "And my mom popped up."
Percy's eyebrows raised and he grinned. "Really? What'd she say?"
Aster recapped her interaction with her mother. By the time she'd finished, Percy looked extremely confused.
"What seed did we plant?" Percy wondered. "We didn't do any gardening on this quest."
Aster rolled her eyes. "It's a metaphor, Kelp Head."
Percy glared at her, but Aster just shrugged. "We can figure it out later," she said. "Apparently I need your help on this one, Seaweed Brain."
Percy bumped his shoulder against hers as they began walking back towards the campfire. "I know you'll need my help, Flower Power. We're a team, remember?"
Aster shot him a playful glare, but she couldn't hide her grin.
"So Annabeth really is into architecture, isn't she?" Percy said as they made their way back. "She still won't shut up about arches and temples and things. And her siblings just eat it all up."
"Tell me about it."
– ❀ –
THE REST OF SUMMER went pretty smoothly, and Aster was glad to have another friend by her side for it. Percy had told her that his mother had offered him to come home for the year, and that he didn't know if he should go or not. Aster just told him to do whatever felt right, which usually worked. With all the training that he had been doing, combined with natural talent, Aster was sure Percy would be able to defend himself in the mortal world if need be. And considering his luck, he would need it.
After seeing Percy's love for his mother during their quest, Aster had secretly longed for that kind of relationship with her father. Even though she was still angry with him, Aster was able to push it aside long enough to write him another letter. The sixth anniversary of the day ehr father was arrested was approaching, and Aster was ready for forgiveness—or at least to try. Chiron always warned her that her trust issues would be her downfall if she didn't work on improving them. Maybe the old centaur was right.
Aster sat down at the Demeter table in the pavilion on one of the last days of June, and she just wrote. When she started putting her thoughts to paper, she couldn't stop. Aster poured out her feelings, adding in questions to her father ever so often. How was he? Was he getting out soon? Did he mean to not respond to her first letter, all those years ago?
By the time she was finished, Aster's letter was four pages, front and back. That was more than she'd ever done for school (granted, she did run away in the middle of first grade, but the point still stands).
After closing the mailbox and hearing the letter be delivered with a swoosh, Aster needed to take her mind off of what she just did. She hadn't told Annabeth or Percy that she was going to write to her dad again, and didn't plan on it. She'd already been disappointed by her father once; she didn't want it to be in front of her friends if it happened again.
Aster found that sparring with Annabeth and Percy (the latter losing quite a bit) helped to get her out of her own head, even if they didn't know why. They were her best friends, but Aster still couldn't bring herself to reveal anything about the letter to them.
All was well, for now.
The Fourth of July rolled around, and Camp Half-Blood did its annual spectacular fireworks celebration. Charles Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin had organized the whole thing, and Aster always looked forward to it. The Hephaestus kids never settled for boring red-white-and-blue explosions.
They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. Annabeth explained to both Aster and Percy that the blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.
As Annabeth, Aster, and Percy were spreading a picnic blanket to watch the show on, Grover showed up to say his goodbyes. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and sneakers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown at least an inch, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.
"I'm off," he said. "I just came to say... well, you know."
Aster could feel tears stinging her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. To see one of her oldest friends go away on his own stirred a mix of emotions in her gut.
Aster practically tackled him in a hug, and Annabeth joined. She told him to keep his fake feet on. Percy asked him where he was going to search first.
"Kind of a secret," Grover said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan..."
"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"
"Yeah."
"And you remembered your reed pipes?"
"Jeez, Annabeth," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat."
But he didn't really sound annoyed.
Aster gave him one last tight squeeze. "Don't forget to Iris-message if you need anything, even if it's just a nice glass of lemonade. I don't care if the Council doesn't approve of it."
"I will, Aster."
Aster crossed her arms. "Promise?"
Grover sighed. "Promise."
Aster smiled tearily. "Good."
"Well," he said, "wish me luck."
Grover gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder, then headed back through the dunes.
Fireworks exploded to life overhead: Hercules killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, George Washington (who, by the way, was a son of Athena, which Annabeth mentioned all the time).
"Hey, Grover," Percy called.
The satyr turned at the edge of the woods.
"Wherever you're going—I hope they make good enchiladas."
Grover grinned, and then he was gone, the trees closing around him.
"We'll see him again," Aster said, and Annabeth nodded her head. Percy tried to look happy, but his sea green eyes shone with sorrow. Even though no searcher had ever come back in two thousand years, Aster hoped Grover would be the first. He had to be.
In the days following the celebration, during her target practice, Aster got a delivery. She had heard a pop!, and turned to find an envelope on the floor of the arena. Her heart nearly beat out of her chest; sprawled across the envelope was her father's neat handwriting, her name and the address of camp printed clearly on it.
Aster couldn't move at first—she just stared at the letter in shock.
Her father had actually written her back.
Aster slowly opened the envelope, careful not to damage any part of it. This was the first piece of her father she'd gotten in almost six years, and she wanted to preserve every part of it.
Sure enough, the paper inside held her father's handwriting as well. Aster teared up a bit while reading it.
July 2, 2005
Aster,
My flower. You have no idea how much I've missed you over these long years. I received your letter, and I've never been happier than hearing from you now. I've read your words a million times, just to be closer to you. I thought I could clear some things up for you in this letter, why I did what I did. Of course, I want to explain it all in person, but I figure you deserve some answers out of me now, before you decide anything.
First things first, I know that you're a demigod, and are currently at Camp Half-Blood. Your mother explained everything to me when you were born. She told me to raise you until you turned eleven—or when the monsters started to attack, whichever came first—then to take you to camp. And that was my plan, honestly. But I got caught up in everything else.
Aster, I wrote to you so many times. There's a stack of about six hundred letters I've written since I've been in here, and they're all for you. I could never find an address for you, so I could never send them. They told me you ran away and were a missing child. When I saw you on the news this past June, I fell right off my seat. My heart nearly stopped. I saw you, my baby girl, and I couldn't believe my eyes.
This first letter you told me about, that you sent when you first got to camp, I never got it. I don't know if it got lost or sent to the wrong place, but all I know is I never received it. If I had, I promise I would have been writing to you all these years. All the unsent letters would have made it to you.
To explain why I was arrested, I have to do that in person. The story is too long and complicated to be written. The next time we speak, either on the phone or (hopefully) in person, I'll explain everything. You deserve it. I'm so sorry I put you in danger that way, and I will never forgive myself for that. I never meant for it to get as far as it did, I swear.
I'm getting out soon because of good behavior. Two weeks after I'm writing this, in fact. I want you to come live with me for the school year, but only if you want to. I completely understand if you want to stay at camp with your friends because it has been your home for the past six years.
I know Camp Half-Blood runs until early August, so I'll have plenty of time to settle before you come home, if that's what you decide. If you decide before July 10, then mail it back to this address. If not, I'm sure Hermes could find a way to get it to me.
I'm sorry for this letter being so short—I don't have much access to paper in here. I hope I hear from you soon.
I love you, petal, and I hope this reaches you in time.
Much love,
Dad
Aster didn't even realize she was crying until her tears were leaving wet spots on the paper. After finishing the letter, she suddenly felt bad for demonizing her father for so long. He'd been trying to reach her for so long, but he just wasn't able to.
Why hadn't her letter gotten to him? Had she sent it to the wrong address? Either way, Aster was so happy that he had missed her that her chest ached.
And he had asked her to come live with him. He hadn't given specifics, but knowing her father, he would only give it to her if she agreed to it, not trying to push it onto her.
Now, Aster was conflicted. She knew she had to become more forgiving, and her father was giving her a chance to forgive him. He also knew what she was—he could support her in being a demigod.
After a lot of thinking while chucking her knives at the board, Aster had made her decision. She scribbled a long response to her father before dinner, and sent it off right before the conch blew. There was an extra spring in her step as she joined her cabin on the walk towards the pavilion.
– ❀ –
THE LAST NIGHT OF the summer session came all too quickly.
The campers had one last meal together. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.
It made Aster nostalgic seeing Percy get his own leather necklace and first bead. She remembered when she got her first bead—little seven-year-old Aster and eight-year-old Annabeth were so excited. The new bead was the sixth to add onto Aster's necklace; it was pitch black, with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center. She spotted a faint blush on Percy's cheeks when the design was revealed.
"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Son of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest he undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"
The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin felt obliged to stand. Aster and Annabeth's siblings steered them to the front so they could share in the applause.
Aster felt happy and sad all at the same time. These people were her family, whether she was always with them or not. And in the morning, most of them would be leaving for the year.
Aster woke up the next morning to a form/letter on her bedside table. It was the usual form to show if you were staying for the year or leaving, but Aster checked how wrong her name was spelled this time. This seemed to be the most off that Mr D had been to date:
Dear Arbor Roe ,
If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit.
Have a nice day!
Mr. D (Dionysus)
Camp Director, Olympian Council #12
Aster threw the letter aside, knowing her answer already. Most of her siblings were still sleeping, only two missing from their beds: Katie and Steve. Katie was probably somewhere doing the gods know what, and Steve was probably training. He always did that when his siblings had to leave with the summer to help with his sadness. Especially since Aster was leaving this year.
Aster went out of her cabin to go sit on the porch, but she saw a commotion in the distance. As Aster looked closer, she saw two nymphs carrying something in between them—not something, someone. They were dragging him and shouting for help, and Lee Fletcher, the counselor for the Apollo cabin, got to them first. Aster was not far behind him. She recognized that mop of messy black hair; it was Percy, and he was unconscious. Aster's heart stopped when she saw the large welt on his hand.
"Quickly," one of the nymphs said, "he has been stung by a pit scorpion!"
Chiron galloped over to them, and sounded his horn. "Put him on my back. Aster, make sure he doesn't fall off."
Lee and Aster hoisted Percy onto his back, then he helped Aster get on afterwards. Chiron didn't wait until Aster was comfortable to go, and she had to hold on to Percy for dear life. He didn't look good. His complexion was green and fading to gray. This was no ordinary wound. From where he had emerged, Percy had been right by the creek. So why hadn't he healed?
When Percy finally woke—after a lot of nectar and healing magic from Chiron—Aster almost jumped for joy. But she kept allowing him to drink the nectar, dabbing his forehead with a wet washcloth like Chiron had instructed. Annabeth had been by her side the whole time, worrying just as much.
"Here we are again," Percy said with a weak grin.
"You idiot," Aster said curtly, but she was just happy to see him conscious. Alive. "You were green and turning gray when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing..."
"Now, now," Chiron's voice said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."
He was sitting near the foot of Percy's bed in human form. His lower half was magically compacted into his wheelchair, his upper half dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked weary and pale. Aster knew he was worried about Percy; he worried about all of them.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."
Aster grimaced.
"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."
Between sips of nectar, Percy told them the story. Luke had betrayed Camp Half-Blood, and all of his friends in it. He had been working for Kronos for some time, and had left the camp to become his servant full-time. He had stolen the master bolt and the helm of darkness at the winter solstice, during their field trip. He tricked Ares into working for Kronos, and gifted the flying shoes to Percy so he would be dragged into Tartarus, with the master bolt in his backpack. Though Grover had screwed up that part of the plan, thank the gods. Percy finished his story by saying that Luke wanted to tear down Olympus piece by piece, and that he was going to help Kronos rise.
Aster felt like she was going through all five stages of grief at once. Luke, who had helped her survive while they were on the run from monsters. Luke, who had taught her how to fight. How could he have done this to them? To her and Annabeth. How could he deface Thalia's memory, her sacrifice to save him? Aster and Annabeth exchanged looks after Percy was done, and devastation swam in her eyes. Aster felt more anger than anything—Luke was a traitor, and he had turned his back on them.
The room was quiet for a long time.
"I can't believe that Luke..." Annabeth's voice faltered.
"I can believe it," Aster said, her jaw clenched. "May the gods curse him... He was never the same after his quest. But how could he have done this to Thalia?"
Her question remained unanswered.
"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."
"Luke is out there right now," Percy said. "I have to go after him."
Chiron shook his head. "No, Percy. The gods–"
"Won't even talk about Kronos," he snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"
"Percy, I know this is hard. But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."
Aster knew that Percy wasn't ready, but she also knew that he wasn't the easiest to negotiate with, especially when he was angry. But Percy sighed and seemed to give up with a look at his sword hand. "Chiron... your prophecy from the Oracle... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Aster, or Annabeth?"
Chiron glanced nervously at the ceiling. "Percy, it isn't my place–"
"You've been ordered not to talk to me about it, haven't you?"
His eyes were sympathetic, but sad. "You will be a great hero, child. I will do my best to prepare you. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you..."
Thunder boomed overhead, rattling the windows.
"All right!" Chiron shouted. "Fine!" He sighed in frustration. "The gods have their reasons, Percy. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."
"We can't just sit back and do nothing," Percy said.
"We will not sit back," Chiron promised. "But you must be careful. Kronos wants you to come unraveled. He wants your life disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and anger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."
"Assuming I live that long."
Chiron put his hand on Percy's ankle. "You'll have to trust me, Percy. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice... But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision."
Percy looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but he clenched his jaw with one look from Chiron; he had said as much as he could.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron promised. "Argus will watch over you."
He glanced at Annabeth and Aster. "Oh, and, my dears... they're waiting outside whenever you're ready. Although your father is getting a bit antsy, Annabeth."
Annabeth thanked Chiron and slipped out of the room after one last silent embrace with Aster and a quiet goodbye to Percy.
"Who's here?" Percy asked once she had left.
Neither Aster nor Chiron answered.
Chiron rolled himself out of the room. The wheels of his chair clunked carefully down the front steps, two at a time.
Aster studied the ice in Percy's drink, not wanting to meet his eyes. She knew he hadn't decided if he was staying or leaving yet, and she also knew that decision was mainly because of her. He had told her he didn't want to leave her alone with Clarisse, after hearing that Annabeth was going home to San Francisco. But Aster hadn't had the heart to tell him. Besides, any conversation about her father made Aster anxious, even if it was with her best friend.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked her.
"Nothing." She set the glass on the table. "I... just took your advice about something. You... um... need anything?"
"Yeah. Help me up. I want to go outside."
"Percy, that's not a good idea. You know that's not a good idea."
Percy slid his legs out of bed. Aster caught him before he could crumple to the floor.
Aster smirked. "I told you..."
"I'm fine," he insisted.
"You really are an idiot."
"It's what I pride myself on," Percy said with a cheeky grin.
He managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Aster. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.
By the time they reached the porch, Percy's face was beaded with sweat. He had managed to make it all the way to the railing.
It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit was silent. No canoes cut the surface of the lake. Beyond the woods and the strawberry fields, the Long Island Sound glittered in the last light of the sun.
"What are you going to do?" Aster asked Percy, looking out onto the camp. The home she wouldn't see for another nine months.
"I don't know."
Aster pursed her lips, then said quietly, "I'm going home for the year, Percy."
Percy stared at her. "You mean, with your dad?"
Aster nodded and pointed toward the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, was a man. He wasn't very tall, with the same kind eyes as Aster and the same dark, thick hair. He was holding the backpack that Aster had gotten from Waterland in Denver, which she had kept—for memories and because it was a nice backpack.
"I wrote him a letter when we got back," Aster said. "Just like you suggested. I told him everything. Everything that had built up over the past five years that I had wanted to tell him. Turns out, he had never gotten my first letter. I was holding a grudge over nothing."
Percy gave her a kind smile. "You couldn't have known that."
Aster took a deep breath. "I know. But he wrote me back, apologizing for everything. He said he would explain everything. He got out in July for good behavior, and he moved to a new city to start over. He asked me to come and live with him... and I told him yes. I wanted to give him a second chance. And... I missed him."
"That took guts. I know Aster Reed doesn't give many second chances."
"And I know that Percy Jackson is an ass." They both laughed. Aster then gave him a stern look. "You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you? At least... not without sending me an Iris-message?"
Percy smiled softly. "I won't go looking for trouble. Well, I usually don't have to."
"When I get back next summer," she said, "we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?"
Percy grinned wildly. "That's the Aster I know."
She rolled her eyes and held out her hand. Percy shook it.
"Take care, Seaweed Brain," Aster told him. "Keep your eyes peeled. I don't want to have to come and rescue you too soon."
Percy smiled at her, genuinely. "You too, Flower Power."
Aster did something that even she didn't expect. She flung her arms around him, squeezing him tight for a second. Then she let go, tried to ignore the redness of Percy's face and the warmth of her own, and took off in the direction of her father. She ran into his arms, inhaling his fresh scent, which always seemed to smell like lilies.
"Hey, dad," she said.
"Hi, Petal."
Aster allowed herself to touch Thalia's pine tree, promising to return next summer, then allowed herself one more smile and a wave to Percy. As soon as she got a small grin and wave in return, she turned her back and was led by her father over the hill and into the mortal world.