Y/n's Pov:
As soon as I was released from the infirmary, the Apollo cabin decided to burn Lee's shroud. They wanted me to be there when it happened, and I appreciated their care.
I must admit, I shed a few tears when I saw the golden shroud be consumed by fire.
Among the dead, Castor, from the Dionysus cabin, had gone down fighting an enemy half-blood, and was wrapped in a deep purple shroud embroidered with grapevines. He'd been seventeen years old. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to say a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheatre, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.
We spent the next day treating the wounded, which was almost everybody. The satyrs and dryads worked to repair the damage to the woods.
At noon, the Council of Cloven Elders held an emergency meeting in their sacred grove. The three senior satyrs were there, along with Chiron, who was in wheelchair form. His broken horse leg was still mending, so he would be confined to the chair for a few months until the leg was strong enough to take his weight. The grove was filled with satyrs, dryads, and naiads up from the water—hundreds of them, anxious to hear what would happen. Juniper, Annabeth, Grayson, Percy, and I stood by Grover's side.
Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, but Chiron persuaded him to at least hear evidence first, so we told everyone what had happened in the crystal cavern, and what Pan had said. Then several eyewitnesses from the battle described the weird sound Grover had made, which drove the Titan's army back underground.
"It was panic," insisted Juniper. "Grover summoned the power of the wild god."
"Panic?" Percy asked.
"Percy," Chiron explained, "during the first war of the gods and the Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that scared away the enemy armies. It is—it was his greatest power—a massive wave of fear that helped the gods win the day. The word panic is named after Pan, you see. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself."
"Preposterous!" Silenus bellowed. "Sacrilege! Perhaps the wild god favoured us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover's music was so awful it scared the enemy away!"
"That wasn't it, sir," Grover said. He sounded a lot calmer than I would have if I'd been insulted like that. "He let his spirit pass into all of us. We must act. Each of us must work to renew the wild, to protect what's left of it. We must spread the word. Pan is dead. There is no one but us."
"After two thousand years of searching, this is what you would have us believe?" Silenus cried. "Never! We must continue the search! Exile the traitor!"
Some older satyrs muttered assent.
"A vote!" Silenus demanded. "Who would believe this ridiculous young satyr, anyway?"
"I would," said a familiar voice.
Everyone turned. Striding into the grove was Dionysus. He wore a formal black suit, so I almost didn't recognize him, a deep purple tie and violet dress shirt, his curly dark hair carefully combed. His eyes were bloodshot as usual, and his pudgy face was flushed, but he looked like he was suffering from grief more than wine withdrawal.
The satyrs all stood respectfully and bowed as he approached. Dionysus waved his hand, and a new chair grew out of the ground next to Silenus's —a throne made of grapevines.
Dionysus sat down and crossed his legs. He snapped his fingers and satyr hurried forward with a plate of cheese and crackers and a Diet Coke.
The god of wine looked around at the assembled crowd. "Miss me?"
The satyrs fell over themselves, nodding and bowing. "Oh, yes, very much, sire!"
"Well, I did not miss this place!" Dionysus snapped. "I bear bad news, my friends. Evil news. The minor gods are changing sides. Morpheus has gone over to the enemy. Hecate, Janus, and Nemesis, as well. Zeus knows how many more."
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
"Strike that," Dionysus said. "Even Zeus doesn't know. Now, I want to hear Grover's story. Again, from the top."
"But, my lord," Silenus protested. "It's just nonsense!"
Dionysus's eyes flared with purple fire. "I have just learned that my son Castor is dead, Silenus. I am not in a good mood. You would do well to humour me."
Silenus gulped and waved at Grover to start again.
When Grover was done, Mr D nodded. "It sounds like just the sort of thing Pan would do. Grover is right. The search is tiresome. You must start thinking for yourselves." He turned to a satyr. "Bring me some peeled grapes, right away!"
"Yes, sire!" The satyr scampered off.
"We must exile the traitor!" Silenus insisted.
"I say no," Dionysus countered. "That is my vote."
"I vote no as well," Chiron put in.
Silenus set his jaw stubbornly."All in favour of the exile?"
He and the two other old satyrs raised their hands.
"Three to two," Silenus said.
"Ah, yes," Dionysus said. "But unfortunately for you, a god's vote counts twice. And as I voted against, we are tied."
Silenus stood, indignant. "This is an outrage! The council cannot stand at an impasse."
"Then let it be dissolved!" Mr D said. "I don't care."
Silenus bowed stiffly, along with his two friends, and they left the grove. About twenty satyrs went with them. The rest stood around murmuring uncomfortably.
"Don't worry," Grover told them. "We don't need the council to tell us what to do. We can figure it out ourselves."
He told them again the words of Pan—how they must save the wild a little at a time. He started dividing the satyrs into groups—which ones would go to the national parks, which ones would search out the last wild places, and which ones would defend the parks in the big cities.
"Well," Annabeth said to me, "Grover seems to be growing up."
~
It felt good to have a regular dinner at camp. Tyson sat with Percy at the Poseidon table. The sunset over Long Island Sound was beautiful. Things weren't back to normal by a long shot, but when I went up to the brazier and scraped part of my meal into the flames as an offering to Artemis, I felt like I really did have a lot to be grateful for. My friends and I were alive. The camp was safe. Kronos had suffered a setback, at least for a while.
The only thing that bothered me was Nico, hanging in the shadows at the edge of the pavilion. He'd been offered a place at the Hermes table, and even at the head table with Chiron, but he had refused.
After dinner, the campers headed toward the amphitheatre, where Apollo's cabin promised an awesome sing-along to pick up our spirits, but Nico turned and disappeared into the woods. I decided I'd better follow him.
As I passed under the shadows of the trees, I realized how dark it was getting. I'd never been scared in the forest before, though I knew there were plenty of monsters. Still, I thought about yesterday's battle and wondered if I'd ever be able to walk in those woods again without remembering the horror of so much fighting.
I couldn't see Nico, but after a few minutes of walking, I saw a glow ahead. At first, I thought Nico had lit a torch. As I got closer, I realized the glow was a ghost. The shimmering form of Bianca di Angelo stood in the clearing, smiling at her brother. She said something to him and touched his face—or tried to. Then her image faded.
Nico turned and saw me, but he didn't look mad.
"Saying goodbye," he said hoarsely.
"We missed you at dinner," I said. "You could've sat with me."
Nico winced. "In the Artemis table? No, thanks."
"Nico, you can't miss every meal. If you don't want to stay with Hermes, maybe they can make an exception and put you in the Big House. They've got plenty of rooms."
"I'm not staying, Y/n."
"But...you can't just leave. It's too dangerous out there for a lone half-blood. You need to train."
"I train with the dead," he said flatly. "This camp isn't for me. There's a reason they didn't put a cabin to Hades here, Y/n. He's not welcome, any more than he is on Olympus. I don't belong. I have to go."
I wanted to argue, but part of me knew he was right. I didn't like it, but Nico would have to find his own, dark way.
Bianca's visit in my dream replayed in my head. Promise me you'll take care of Nico. Be the sister I will not be able to be. If Nico left, I would be breaking a dangerous promise to Bianca. I couldn't do that.
"Hades might not be welcome by some campers, but you are," I told him. "I'm welcoming you."
Nico ran a hand through his hair. "Y/n, you are a very special person to me, and I really appreciate you trying to convince me to stay, but I need answers. There are many questions I have unanswered, and if I find out the truth, I may find where I belong."
I sighed. "I can't force you to do something you do not want to do. And if you really want this..."
"I do."
I looked at my shoes. "When will you go?"
"Right away. I've got tons of questions. Like, who was my mother? Who paid for Bianca and me to go to school? Who was that lawyer guy who got us out of the Lotus Hotel? I know nothing about my past. I need to find out."
He seems so enthusiastic.
"Promise me you'll stay safe?" I asked him.
Nico sighed. "I'll try my best."
"And that you'll contact me if you're ever in danger?"
"I'll see what I can do."
I exhaled. "Can I hug you?"
"I'm not a fan of physical touch."
"Oh."
Nico sighed. "Fine. For you."
I smiled at him and engulfed him in a careful hug. It was short but enough to make Nico's shoulders relax and enjoy it. He hugged me back, and I whispered to him, "I'll miss you."
Nico nodded. "Me too."
After we pulled away, I cleaned a tear which had somehow fallen from my eye.
"By the way..." I fished something out of my pocket. "Percy and Tyson found this while cleaning the cabin. Thought you might want it." I held out a lead figurine of Hades—the little Mythomagic statue Nico had abandoned when he fled camp last winter.
Nico hesitated. "I don't play that game anymore. It's for kids."
"It's got four thousand attack power," I coaxed.
"Five thousand," Nico corrected. "But only if your opponent attacks first."
I smiled. "Maybe it's okay to still be a kid once in a while."
I tossed him the statue. Nico studied it in his palm for a few seconds, then slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks."
I put out my hand. He shook reluctantly. His hand was as cold as ice.
"I've got a lot of things to investigate," he said. "Some of them...Well, if I learn anything useful, I'll let you know."
I wasn't sure what he meant, but I nodded. "Keep in touch, Nico."
He turned and trudged off into the woods. The shadows seemed to bend toward him as he walked like they were reaching out for his attention.
A voice right behind me said, "I like Nico. It's sad he's leaving."
I turned and found Grayson standing there, his hands in his Atlantic High hoodie's pockets.
"Romanticly?" I asked him.
"Nah," he dismissed. "I'd never cheat on Noah."
"You guys aren't dating."
Grayson held up his finger. "Yet."
I rolled my eyes. "You're an idiot."
Grayson waved his hand in dismissal. "Shut up and follow me."
"Where to?" I asked.
"Just to the campfire," he said. "I was beginning to feel better, so I thought I would talk with you a bit. You always manage to annoy me."
"Thanks. It's intentional."
"I know."
We walked through the woods in silence. I noticed the grass seemed more alive under Grayson's feet. In comparison to Nico, who seemed to take the life out of the grass. Looking at both of them, it seemed nearly impossible that they could be related. Yet they were half-siblings.
"I'm sorry about Lee," Grayson said, breaking the silence. "I know you two were really close."
I inhaled shakily. "Yeah. Thanks."
"You missed lots while in your 'coma'."
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Yeah." He smiled. "Will became a cowboy."
I let out a chuckle. "What?"
"Yeah, he was so panicked due to your state, he started speaking in cowboy."
I laughed through my nose. "Oh, my Gods."
Grayson laughed with me. For a moment, everything seemed possible. The air was cooler, the moon shone brighter, and the singing from the fireplace became happier. Then the laughter died down.
Grayson looked at me. "We were all so worried for you, but especially Percy. While you were in the infirmary, I had to remind him to have his daily meals. He was so drained and lifeless that Thanatos himself would look more alive than him. He was like a living corpse."
I frowned. "Really?"
"He really loves you, Y/n/n."
My stomach filled with butterflies at those words. Percy loved me. Me. I let it sink in for a moment or two. Just the possibility of another human being loving me back romantically was enough to make me go quiet.
Mother wouldn't like this.
Fuck it. Who cares?! Percy loves me!
"You may think the night is covering your blush," Grayson teased. "If it is, it isn't doing a good job."
I came back to my senses, now blushing harder.
I hit him playfully in the arm. "Shut up."
He swung his arm around my shoulders. "I'm just playing with you, Moony."
The rest of the walk, we spent it laughing at idiotic jokes and stupid memories. As we neared the campfire, I spotted Percy singing (and quite badly, may I add) alongside Annabeth, who was trying her best not to laugh at his voice.
When he saw me, he stopped singing, and waved at me, to which I waved back. His smile seemed to be brighter than the fireplace, and that made the stupid butterflies migrate to my stomach.
Godsdamn it. I'm so in love.