"it's okay to be a kid sometimes"
There were too many goodbyes.
It was hard to watch camp burial shrouds used on bodies again. It brought back tons of horrible memories.
Lee Fletcher from the Apollo cabin was among the dead. He had been downed by a giant's club, and was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decoration.
Next was Castor, one of the twins from the Dionysus cabin, had gone down fighting an enemy half-blood. He was wrapped in a deep purple shroud, embroidered with grapevines. His bother, 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 amphitheater, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in flames, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.
They spent the next day treating the wounded, which was almost everyone. 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 and dryads an naiads up from the water—hundreds of them, anxious to hear what would happen. Juniper, Annabeth, Percy, and Cassandra stood by Grover's side.
Silenus wanted to exile Grover immediately, but Chiron persuaded him to at least hear evidence first, so they told everyone what 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 Titans, Lord Pan let forth a horrible cry that scare 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 name after Pan, you see. And Grover used that power, calling it forth from within himself."
"Preposterous!" Silenus bellowed. "Sacrilege! Perhaps the wild god favored us with a blessing. Or perhaps Grover's music was so awful it scared the enemy away!"
"That wasn't it, sir" Grover said, sounding way calmer that Cassandra would have been. "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 of the 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, his eyes were bloodshot as usual, and his face was flushed, but it 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 satyrs 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."
"What about my mother?" Cassandra asked the god.
Dionysus rolled his eyes. "Don't get me started on your mother."
"Now, I want to hear Grover's story. Again, from the top" Dionysus said.
"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 humor 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 favor of 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 gods 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, which ones would defend the parks in the big cities.
"Well" Annabeth said to Percy and Cassandra, "Grover seems to be growing up."
"Yeah" Cassandra said, with a smile. "I think we all are."
╰┈ ⋆｡˚ ❀ *· 🌬 ࿐ ࿔ ˚:⋆ ✧･ﾟ
Cassandra was the happiest she had ever been in the past few weeks, at dinner.
Sitting with the rest of Cabin Ten, the chatter of the rest of the camp filling her ears, and a nice camp-cooked meal, was one of the things she didn't think she would miss about camp.
The sunset was beautiful. A masterpiece painted across the sky, filled with shades of orange, yellow, and pink. It made Cassandra feel even more grateful. Her friends were alive, the camp was safe, and she had regained some of her confidence after defeating so many monsters.
The only thing that could mess up her mood was Nico, hanging in the shadows at the edge of the pavilion. He'd been offered a seat at the Hermes and head tables, but he refused.
After dinner, the campers headed toward the amphitheater, where the Apollo cabin promised an awesome sing-along to help lift their spirits, but Nico turned and disappeared into the woods. Cassandra decided to follow him. Percy seemed to have the same idea, running to catch up to her.
They didn't talk to each other, despite the million things they had to say.
She couldn't see Nico at first, but after a few minutes of walking she saw a faint glow up ahead. At first, it looked like a torch had been lit, but as she got closer, she realized it 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 them, but he didn't look mad.
"Saying goodbye" He explained hoarsely.
"We missed you at dinner" Percy said. "You could've sat with me."
"No."
"You can't miss every meal, Nico" Cassandra said. "If you don't want to stay in the Hermes cabin, they might make an exception and put you in the Big House."
"I'm not staying, Cassandra."
"But... you can't just leave" Percy said. "It's too dangerous out there for a lone half-blood. You need to train."
"I train with the dead" Nico said flatly. "This camp isn't for me. There's a reason they didn't put a cabin to Hades here. He's not welcome, any more than he is on Olympus. I don't belong. I have to go."
Cassandra nodded. She knew that Nico was never going to stay. And she also knew that he would somehow find his way. "When are you leaving?"
"Right away" He said. "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."
Cassandra nodded again, "I understand. But I hope we don't have to enemies anymore."
He lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry I was a brat. I should've listened to you about Bianca."
"About that..." She reached into her pocket. "I kept this in my pack. I thought you might want it." She held out a lead figurine of Hades—the little Mythomagic statue Nico had abandoned when he had left camp last winter.
Nico hesitated. "I don't play that game anymore. It's for kids."
"It's got four thousand attack power" Percy coaxed.
"Five thousand" Nico corrected. "But only if your opponent attacks first."
Cassandra smiled. "It's okay to be a kid sometimes" She put the statue in his hand.
He studied it for a few seconds, and then slipped it into his pocket. "Thanks."
Percy held out his hand. Nico shook it reluctantly.
"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."
Cassandra didn't exactly know what he meant but she nodded. "Keep in touch. Iris-Message me if you need anything. And well..." She reached back into her pocket and pulled out a card. "I don't know if I'm going home, but this is my... adoptive mom's office. Ask for the name on the card and tell her who you are. She's a demigod too."
Nico took the business card and nodded, before turning and trudging off into the woods. The shadows bent toward him as he walked, reaching for his attention.
She sent a prayer to Apollo and Hades to protect him. She couldn't live with herself if he was hurt. She had promised Bianca that she would take care of him, and she would do just that until her very last breath.
A voice right behind her and Percy said, "There goes a very troubled young man."
They turned and found Dionysus standing there, still wearing his black suit.
"Walk with me" He said.
"Where to?" Percy asked suspiciously.
"Just to the campfire" He said. "I was beginning to feel better, so I though I would talk with you a bit. You always manage to annoy me."
"Uh, thanks."
They walked through the woods in silence. Dionysus was treading on air, his black shoes hovering an inch off the ground.
"We have had many betrayals" He said. "Things are not looking good for Olympus. Yet you two and Annabeth saved this camp. I'm not sure I should thank you for that."
"It was a group effort."
He shrugged. "Regardless, I suppose it was mildly competent, what you three did. I thought you should know—it wasn't a total loss."
They reached the amphitheater, and Dionysus pointed toward the campfire. Clarisse was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Chris Rodriguez, who was telling her a joke.
Cassandra looked up at the god. "You cured him?"
"Madness is my specialty. It was quite simple."
"But... you did something nice" Percy said in disbelief. "Why?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I am nice! I simply ooze niceness, Perry Johansson. Haven't you noticed?"
"Uh—"
"Perhaps I felt grieved by my son's death" He sighed. "Perhaps I thought this Chris boy deserved a second chance. At any rate, it seems to have improved Clarisse's mood."
"Why are you telling us this?" Percy asked.
The god sighed again. "Oh, Hades if I know. But remember, boy, that a kind act can sometimes be as powerful as a sword. As a mortal, I was never a great fighter or athlete or poet. I only made wine. The people in my village laughed at me. They said I would never amount to anything. Look at me now. Sometimes small things can become very large indeed."
He left the two of them to think about that. And as she watched Clarisse and Chris singing a campfire song together, holding hands in the darkness, where they thought no one could see them, she couldn't help but smile.
╰┈ ⋆｡˚ ❀ *· 🌬 ࿐ ࿔ ˚:⋆ ✧･ﾟ
Cassandra knew she couldn't hold it off anymore. After spending three days at camp, resting and basking in the normality of it all, she no longer had any excuses.
It was weird how much she dreaded the phone call.
"It's four-thirty" Chiron told her.
"Right" Cassandra muttered.
"I doubt it will go as badly as you are expecting" Chiron said. "Courtney has always been a very understanding hero. Perhaps her heart is too big."
Cassandra scoffed. "Gee, thanks."
"You know that isn't what I meant" The centaur said. "You will be fine. It is best to get it out of the way now."
"I know" The blonde replied. "Can I, uh, have some privacy?"
"Of course. But I will know if you don't call" He warned. "I advise you to do so."
He turned, wheeling his wheelchair out of the office, and closing the door behind him.
Cassandra bounced her leg nervously, as her hand inched toward the phone.
"Just get it over with" She muttered to herself.
But the worries took over her mind and she sat staring at the phone for another three minutes, thinking over every possibility.
What if they hate me?
What if they don't want me to go back home?
She shook her head. "If they hate you, who cares? At least you'll know how they feel about you."
So with a deep breath, she grabbed the phone and dialed the number.
Deep down, she was slightly hoping no one would answer.
Unfortunately, someone picked up on the fifth ring. "Hello?"
"Uh..." Cassandra trailed off.
"Hello?" Courtney asked. "Is someone there?"
"Uh, hi."
"Cassandra, is that you?"
"Yeah" Cassandra said. "Hi Courtney."
"Oh my gods" The woman sighed in relief. "Josh! It's Cassie!"
There was more rustling and yelling in the back. "Here, I'm going to put you on speaker" Courtney told her.
"Why haven't you called?" Josh's voice demanded.
"I, uh, I've been kind of busy" Cassandra said, quietly.
"Busy?" Josh questioned, skeptically.
"Yeah. The camp has been expecting an attack, and I had to go on a quest into the Labyrinth" Cassandra explained. "I know I should have called, but—"
"The Labyrinth?" Courtney asked. "Tell us everything."
"It's a pretty long story" Cassandra warned.
"We have time" Josh said, his tone much nicer than before, (most likely because of Courtney's scolding).
Cassandra took a deep breath and delved into the story of the Labyrinth, Mount St. Helen's, Kronos rising, Pan dying, and the Battle that ensued afterwards.
She decided to leave out the part about kissing Percy, knowing that Josh would throw a fit about her kissing a boy, who he constantly told her had cooties.
Courtney seemed to know something had happened at the forge, that she was leaving out. Maybe it was because her mother was the goddess of love, or maybe because she could just hear it in her voice.
Once she finished her story, she took another deep breath and waited for their reaction.
"Well" Courtney began. "It sounds like you've had quite the summer so far."
"I think that's putting it lightly" Cassandra said.
"I'm considering going back to camp" Josh said. "You guys are having so much fun. When I went, we just rode pegasi and practiced sword fighting."
"And how long ago was that?' Cassandra asked.
Josh groaned. "I should have seen that coming."
Courtney laughed, "It's okay honey."
"So" Josh said. "Are you coming back for the winter time?"
Cassandra tensed. "I don't know yet. Are you sure you even want me back?"
"Of course we want you back" Courtney said. "Why wouldn't we?"
"Well I know that I caused the explosion that burned the house down and that you had a lot of valuable things—"
"Cassandra, the explosion wasn't your fault" Josh interrupted. "Chiron said you were surrounded by a monster army. If that explosion saved you, then I don't care about the house."
"Are you sure?" Cassandra asked. "You don't hate me?"
"Do you want me to hate you?" Courtney asked rhetorically.
"Of course not" Cassandra muttered.
"You're welcome back anytime" Courtney assured. "Right now, we're staying in an Air B&B but by the time summer is over, we should have found a house."
"I'll think about it" Cassandra answered. "But, Kronos has risen, and a war is looming. The camp might need my help."
"We understand" Josh said. "But we want you to know that you'll always have a room."
She smiled. "Thanks."
"It's getting late" Courtney said. "I'm sure dinner is starting soon."
"Yeah."
"We'll let you go" Josh said. "But keep in touch."
"I will. Promise."
╰┈ ⋆｡˚ ❀ *· 🌬 ࿐ ࿔ ˚:⋆ ✧･ﾟ
author's note:
More Courtney and Josh content! I love them so much.
Thank you guys so much for 3k reads. I honestly can't believe that so many people have read this book.