THEY WERE THE first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated them like they'd won some reality TV contest. According to camp tradition, they wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in their honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where they got to burn the burial shrouds their cabins had made for them.
Loralai's shroud was so beautiful– orange silk and various intricate paintings of all the camp activities– Percy told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched him and told him to shut up.
Annabeth's was made out of silk, as well, but it was gray, with embroidered owls, which was also stunning.
Percy being the son of Poseidon, he didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed out eyes around the border, then the word LOSER painted really big in the middle. Not very beautiful or stunning like his quest mates.
It was fun to burn.
As Apollo's led the sing-along and passed out toasted marshmallow, Loralai was surrounded by her old Hermes cabin mates, her new Hephaestus half-siblings (Oliver totally broke down when he found out he lost, by the way), Annabeth's half-siblings from Athena and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.
Caliz was grinning at Oliver, who was playing his guitar fairly angry whilst glaring at him.
"He's so mad, look," Caliz said with a laugh, pointing at him. Loralai followed her finger and cracked up. He looked like a bull, and the first in front of him really added to the irritated effect.
Caliz remarked, "Jeez, if I could paint, I'd do a portrait of that: The epitome of male rage."
Loralai laughed, then said, "Well, technically he was right about the Hades thing." The older girl looked offended at this. "Um, nooooo! We were guessing your dad, he's just a sore loser," she joked.
With a head tilt, Loralai agreed, "Fair enough."
The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told Loralai they'd never forgive Percy for disgracing their dad.
Even Dionysus' welcome home speech wasn't enough to dampen her high spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brats didn't get themselves killed and now Peter will have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In another announcement, there will be no canoe races this Sunday..."
As the night grew deeper, Loralai grabbed her suitcase from Cabin Three. Before she left, she turned around and took a final look. It had been her home for five years, she might as well feel sad, even if there were people already sprawled on the ground snoring.
The others were all scattered across camp, either still partying or hanging out with friends. Loralai was glad the cabin was partially empty, otherwise she'd get convinced to stay there forever by her friends.
It smelt of playdough and old paper, the walls were scratched and scraped from years of kids playing pranks and accidentally damaging furniture. No matter how cramped and sweaty the place was, she would always remember it as the first place she genuinely and consistently laughed.
Caliz Chung and Charles Beckendorf stood at the end of the steps. "Ready?" Beckendorf, the head camper of the Hephaestus cabin called out. Loralai hummed, then confirmed, "Ready."
She turned her back from the cabin and rolled her small suitcase down the stairs. Almost immediately she was smothered in a hug from her half-siblings. "Welcome home," Caliz mumbled into her shoulder, earning a large beam from Loralai.
They all pulled apart from the hug. Charles whispered enthusiastically, "Moving day, woo!"
The Hephaestus Cabin was exactly how Loralai had imagined it. There was a large and circular metal vault door that opened with a hiss of greeting. Inside, there was someone working cutting metal with an electrical saw. The person wore a shield of silver over their face to protect themself, with a tiny window so they could see.
Sparks flew all around, dancing and bouncing off the metal walls. The floor was a dark wood, but somehow Loralai could sense some sort of coating had been put over it to stop it bursting into flames.
She breathed in the atmosphere. It smelt like burning wood and iron. The loud saw rang through her ears, so loud Charles had to shout over it to tell them to quiet down.
The sound died down, the girl using the saw flicked off her mask with a glare at Beckendorf and a smile at Loralai. She stepped forward, Loralai recognized her as Nyssa Barrera. Loralai had seen her around camp, but never properly talked to her.
"Hi, Loralai," Nyssa said breathlessly, sweat dripping off her forehead. A red bandana was wrapped around her short brown hair, and her muscles were prominent from working with tools.
Her skin was coco-brown, so Loralai thought she must've been Hispanic, with a slight flare when she said the 'r's in Loralai's name. "Hi, Nyssa," Loralai said, walking forward and leaning over her bench to see what she's working on.
She thought it would've been something intense, like a fancy machine, but it was just a slab of metal that read: NYSSA'S CAVE.
"Oh you're decorating a ..." Loralai's voice trailed off. She wanted to say, "Are you guys decorating a cave in the forest," but that sounded stupid.
"A sign for my room," Nyssa explained. Her eyebrows shot up when Loralai tossed her a confused look. "Oh," she said, "Caliz didn't tell you about our rooms."
Loralai grinned. "We have our own rooms?" It was a refreshment from the crowded Cabin Eleven.
"Yup," Caliz chimed in, "under our beds. It's like a secret compartment."
Loralai's mouth dropped. "Cool!"
Then the head counselor, Beckendorf, directed her to her bunk. It was nothing special. What was underneath it was what really got Loralai excited. She had managed to open the compartment via her techno kinesis, but Beckendorf laughed and said there was a level and that she doesn't need to do that every time.
She was lowered into the empty room by an industrial lift, which had chain decoration that clinked when it lowered. Finally, with a boom, she reached the bottom.
Loralai stepped out of the elevator, Caliz trailing behind her. The room was spacious, and had metal walls like the room upstairs. It had a tiny bathroom separate, which Caliz said was because people would sometimes stay down in their rooms all night working on things.
There was a wooden table leaned against one of the walls, with a bunch of equipment on it: saws, hammers, power tools, you name it. Above the table, hanging on the wall was a banner that read in sloppy painted letters: HAPPY B̶I̶R̶T̶H̶D̶A̶Y̶ CLAIMING!
Loralai laughed then turned to Caliz. "Thank you," she said. "I'm just... I can't believe it!"
The rest of Loralai's night consisted of her and Caliz pulling an all-nighter in Loralai's room, sipping on a pack of Redbull and talking about her quest, her claiming, her powers, how she was going to decorate the room and everything and everyone in between.
-
ON THE FOURTH of July, the whole camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by cabin nine. Being Hephaestus' kid, Loralai and her siblings weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles.
According to Annabeth, who was on the shore with Percy and had seen the show before, 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 thirty-meter-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, then explode into a million colors.
Loralai arrived at the beach, breathless and panting at Annabeth and Percy's picnic blanket, which was really hers, she'd bought it from the camp shop. A couple of Annabeth's siblings were there, too, and a few Loralai's friends from the Hermes cabin, who were chatting to Percy.
"Guys," she heaved, "I have to go back and help soon, sorry I can't stay, but where's–"
As if on queue, Grover showed up to tell them goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and a T-shirt and trainers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age. His goatee had got thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown a few centimeters, 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."
Loralai felt so happy for him. After all, it wasn't everyday a satyr got permission to go look for the great god Pan. But it was hard saying goodbye, she'd known him for so long, and all of a sudden it felt like everyone had started growing up at an intense rate.
Grover was off to Pan, Percy had gotten a growth spurt and was now taller than Loralai, everyone was growing both physically and mentally. It was very bittersweet.
Annabeth gave him a hug, she told him to keep his fake feet on. Loralai almost squeezed him to death, then pulled apart to quiz him, "You got enough tin for the trip?" Grover nodded. "Have you got your reed pipes?"
"Jeez, Loralai," he grumbled. "You're like an old mama goat." He didn't really sound annoyed, though.
Percy asked him where he was going to search first. "Kind of a secret," he answered, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me guys, but humans and Pan..."
"We understand," Annabeth said.
Smiling, Grover gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on an American highway– nothing like the nervous and bullied satyr Loralai had met five years ago.
"Well," he said, "wish me luck."
He gave the girls another hug and dapped up Percy.
"Good luck with your fireworks show," he told Loralai. Percy frowned. "Wait, you made it?" Loralai nodded, and said, "And I've got to help light it up in..."
She checked her watch, the first thing she'd made as an official Hephaestus kid. It was fireproof, and could care for her if her heart rate went too high and could warn her before she spurted any fire. It could point her to the nearest mechanic or food store. Oh, and it also told her the time.
There were plenty more things she wanted to add to the watch, over time. Maybe a navigation system, because she sucked at finding her way to places unless she was near fire or in the Underworld.
The time read: 20:59.
"Crap, one minute, Grover–"
The satyr nodded and chuckled. "Go."
Loralai got there just in time, panting as she lit the mechanic. The fire trailed down to the thousands of fireworks, lighting them all. Nyssa called out mockingly, "Too busy with the goat and the kelp?"
Loralai smirked. "Shut up–"
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) crossing the Delaware.
-
JULY PASSED QUICKLY.
Loralai spent her days doing Hephaestus kid stuff and hanging out with her friends. She made machines and worked with melted, which came naturally to her. She learnt in lessons what different power tools did, how to work them, and how to stay safe (which, dangerously, was the shortest lesson of all). Loralai had gotten a little buff by the end of the summer.
Eventually, she had a little collection of her creations going on. Her watch, a go-kart that could fly, and a table for her room that had unlimited storage. The most complicated to make was the table, which took her a few weeks, but her favorite was the go-kart.
When she told Percy and Annabeth about the go-kart, they burst out laughing. In their laughter, Percy exclaimed, "You're going to show up to battle in a go-kart?!" She told him it was just for fun, but she'd run him over with it later.
Oliver had been sulking all summer from losing the bet. Every time she hung out with Oliver and Caliz as a trio, he would whine and whine and Caliz would brag and brag. Don't get her wrong, she loved her friends and they talked about other stuff, it was funny watching Oliver get commanded around by her cabinmate.
During July, Ricardo wrote to her. In the first letter, he said that he had managed to find his family house in Houston as it was run-down and abandoned, he said he was planning on fixing it up and then trying to find a family. He said that he knew about what Camp Half-Blood was, but there wasn't enough discreteness in his postal system so he wouldn't write how.
Loralai wrote back that she was a year-rounder at camp, but she would find a way to come and help him find family. She wondered if he was interested in her staying there and assisting him to fix the house, as she was a child of Hephaestus. She reassured him that her postal system was secure (Hermes) and that she would try to hook him up with it.
She also informed him of her fire, and said that it might be out of control if she didn't stay at camp and train where it was safe.
Ricardo wrote back saying he would pick her up at the end of the summer, and that he had a big field to practice controlling her fire and didn't mind if she burnt a couple of things down. He thanked her for the offer to help him find his family and said there was a local school nearby that she could attend if she wanted to.
That was that. Loralai was overjoyed. For once, she wouldn't be staying at camp for the whole year. She would actually be able to stay at a normal house, and go to a normal school. She wasn't sure if Ricardo was normal, if he knew what Camp Half-Blood was, but he just seemed so familiar, like she'd seen him before in a photo that she couldn't help but trust him. Maybe he'd been a senator in the olden days or something, he could certainly afford nice suits.
One worry on her mind was that Percy had opened up one night, and told her the prophecy:
You shall go west, and face the god who has turned. Tick.
You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. Tick.
You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. Tick? Percy thought it meant Ares, but the god hadn't once called them a friend, if they were going literally.
And you shall fail to save what matters most in the end. Tick? Percy expressed that he was still uneasy about that, even if it was probably about his mom.
The last night of the summer session came all too quickly. The campers had one last meal together. They burned part of their dinner for the gods and Loralai enjoyed some space while she was eating.
At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads. Loralai fiddled with her five beads, wondering what the next one would be. Her guess was it being a master bolt.
However, when she saw the design for her sixth summer, she was glad no one could see her flustered expression in the dim fire-light. The design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident shimmered in the center, and a flame just beneath it.
"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first son of the Sea God at this camp and the claiming of the first Hephaestus kid with the ability to control fire in centuries, and the quest they undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"
The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even the Ares' cabin felt obliged to stand. Loralai's siblings steered her to the front, urging her to soak in the applause. The Athena cabin brought Annabeth forward, too, so she could share in the applause.
Loralai wasn't sure if she felt happy or sad at that moment. She wished for her family, people who cared about her and cherished her abilities that others demeaned her for. And in the morning, she would be leaving for the year.
-
THE NEXT MORNING, Loralai said goodbye to her room and promised she'd come back the next year with more decorations. She thought a couch and some posters, plus a source for music would truly be necessary if she wanted to make her workspace her own.
After grabbing the necessary things for her to help Ricardo, like her hammer and other tools, she took the lift up to her bed and stepped out, closing the bed behind her.
Loralai hauled her large leather tool bag and her shoulder and grabbed her suitcase from where it was standing on the bedside table. Her suitcase wasn't that hefty, but it was still pretty full considering she had never really done this before and had no idea how to pack.
Caliz, who was studying up on Ancient Greece, looked up and grinned.
"Aw, my little sister going out into the real world for once," She cooed jokingly. Loralai rolled her eyes. "I've been in the real world before."
Caliz shut her book and got up, strutting over. "Not like this," she said. "Are you nervous?" Loralai nodded slowly, and Caliz's eyes were suddenly filled with concern. "Yo, just write to me if something goes wrong," she offered. "We'll come pick you up."
"'We'll'?" Loralai asked. Caliz smiled greedily. "Oliver got a car from his mom for his driving lessons and he lost the bet so... we're sharing it," she explained. Oliver's mom was a famous singer, so the car bit wasn't surprising but... Tilting her head in confusion, Loralai said, "I thought it was only 'whatever you want from the camp shop'?"
Caliz turned bright red, her olive skin doing nothing to hide it. "Uh... y'know, tricked him. He's easy to trick. Plus, he's gonna need me if he wants to keep that thing in shape."
Loralai gasped. "Caliz, are you guys da–"
"Shh! Bye now! Have fun outside of camp, Loralai, bye!" the older girl shouted, helping carry Loralai's bags so that she could leave faster and pushing her out the vault-like door.
In front of the door, Loralai's mouth almost fell off her hinges. First, she had just been kicked out of her own cabin by her own half-sibling and her own best friend. Second, two of her closest friends were dating!
She managed to compose herself from the shock, beginning to slowly make her way to the Big House, where she had agreed to meet Annabeth to say goodbye. Annabeth had gotten in contact with her dad, and was going to try again with her family.
Loralai was proud of her. Annabeth was one of the most mentally strong people she knew. She was wise and one of the greatest best friends she could've ever asked for. They had been through their five years and camp together, their first quest together and only continued to grow closer.
Camp Half-Blood was busy. All around, people were saying goodbye to their friends and frantically packing their bags. One Demeter kid sprinted after a laughing satyr, screaming, "Give me my toothbrush back!"
The camp was lively, full of kids who were laughing and crying and training their hearts out to be the greatest at their passion. At the end of the day, at the end of the summer, they were all just kids. None of them had chosen this life, yet everyone seemed as though they had fallen in love with it.
How could you not fall in love with Camp Half-Blood? How could you not fall in love with the glow of the moon and stars, the warmth of the sun, the ancient life within the trees and the sweet melodies of the wind?
Loralai wondered if anyone was really as happy as they looked from the smiles on their faces and the laughter echoing through the valley. She hoped they were. She really hoped they were.
Loralai was halfway to the Big House when a group of kids carrying someone swept past her. Just for a moment, she saw the boy's face. She saw his sea green eyes and his jet black hair. Percy.
She dropped her bags and ran after the group, repeatedly asking what had happened. None of them talked, they looked like coroners, and Percy wasn't conscious. Loralai had a sinking feeling in her stomach. Surely not?
The group of kids that had been nearby when he became unconscious managed to get him to the sickroom, Loralai trailing close behind and Chiron scrambling around for heating supplies. They settled him on the white sheets. Frantically, Loralai yelled, "Nectar!"
This was not the afternoon she had planned.
-
WHEN PERCY WOKE up, he had a drinking straw in his mouth and was propped up by some pillows. Loralai sat next to him, holding his glass of nectar and dabbing his forehead with a damp washcloth.
As his eyes fluttered open they instantly looked at his right hand, which was bandaged like a club. Percy sighed. "Here we are again."
"You dumbass," Loralai said, which is how he knew she was overjoyed to see him conscious. "They said you were green turning gray when they 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, which is why he hadn't noticed him yet. Argus stood guard in the corner.
Chiron's upper half was dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but his face looked wary and pale, the way it did when he'd been up all night grading Latin papers.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved," Percy groaned. He should've been an Apollo kid, with that simile, Loralai thought sarcastically.
"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. How Luke was the one from the second to last line of the prophecy: you will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. How he was working with Kronos, how he was angry at the gods, how he had tried to kill Percy.
"I can't believe that Luke..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Loralai's expression was angry and sad. "I can believe it. He was never the same after his quest, he was acting weird... I don't know how I didn't realize. May the gods curse him."
"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."
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."
Percy didn't like it, but part of him suspected Chiron was right. One look at his hand, and he knew he wasn't going to be sword fighting any time soon. "Chiron... your prophecy from the Oracle... it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Loralai and Annabeth?"
The centaur's eyes were sympathetic, but said. "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, reminding Loralai of herself. "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 protested.
"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..." Loralai got the feeling that the centaur knew exactly what the right choice was, and it was taking all his willpower not to advise Percy. "...But you must decide on whether to stay at Camp Half-blood year-round, or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think about that. When I get back from Olympus, you must tell me your decision."
There was a pause, before Chiron said, "You will all live as heroes."
Percy wanted to protest. He wanted to ask more questions. But Chiron's expression told him there could be no more discussion; 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 Loralai. "Oh, and, my dears... whenever you're ready, they're here." It had a double message: Ricardo was there, and Annabeth's dad (and probably her step-siblings and step-mom) was there as well, waiting for them.
"Who's here?" Percy inquired.
Nobody answered, Annabeth got her backpack, hugged Loralai goodbye and left the room behind a rolling Chiron. Loralai heard the wheels of his chair clunk carefully down the front steps, two at a time, Annabeth's footsteps were slow at first, then went fast, obviously overtaking Chiron.
Loralai studied the ice in Percy's drink, trying to find something to focus on instead of her growing anxiety. "What's wrong?" Percy asked.
"Nothing." She set the glass on the table. "Just have been in touch with a friend. Um... you need something?"
"Yeah. Help me up. I want to go outside," Percy deadpanned. "That's isn't a good idea–" It was too late, Percy had already swung his legs out of bed. Loralai caught him before he could crumple to the floor. A wave of nausea rolled over him. The girl muttered, "I told you..."
"I'm fine," he insisted. He didn't want to lie in bed like an invalid while Luke was out there planning to destroy the Western world. Percy managed a step forward. Then another, still leaning heavily on Loralai. Argus followed them outside, but he kept his distance.
By the time they reached the porch, Percy's face was beaded with sweat. Luckily Loralai had gotten stronger over the past few weeks, otherwise she would have collapsed under the amount of weight Percy was relying her to carry.
They leaned on the railing. It was dusk. The camp looked completely deserted. The cabins were dark and the volleyball pit 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. There was two abandoned bags nearly right in front of the Big House, and somehow Percy knew they were Loralai's.
He was flattered that she'd dropped everything to help him. And even though she was glaring at him with irritation, Percy smiled. Loralai rolled her eyes. After a few moments of listening to the breeze of the trees, Loralai asked, "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know."
Percy told her he got the feeling Chiron wanted him to stay year-round, to put in more individual training time, but he wasn't sure that's what he wanted. He admitted he'd feel bad about leaving her alone, thought, with only Clarisse for company...
Loralai pursed her lips. She wouldn't be alone, she'd have Caliz. But then again, if Oliver was going to stay with his mom... Caliz might go with him. She didn't know how long they'd been keeping it a secret from her, but she cursed herself for not realizing the tension there earlier. He was always angry when he was apart from Caliz.
Loralai said quietly, "I'm going to a home for a year, Percy."
The boy stared at her. "You mean like a retirement home? Or your mom's?" Loralai smirked, then pointed towards the crest of Half-Blood Hill. Next to Thalia's pine tree, at the very edge of the camp's magical boundaries, a man stood silhouette. He seemed to be waiting, wearing a suit and an old-fashioned car behind him.
"Ricardo sent letters," she explained, "he offered me a place to stay and I promised him I'd help him fix up his house and find a family. He knows about demigods."
Percy looked worried. "What if he's a monster?"
Shrugging, Loralai told him, "I know he's not. He feels familiar... like the warm light of Hephaestus I felt in my dreams."
The boy raised a brow, understanding the feeling-- he had felt it with Poseidon. "You think he might be related to you?"
She gulped. "He could be. He said he lived in Houston, and that's where my mom's family lived. I also saw... I saw the house he described in his letters when I was trying not to shadow-travel on the beach."
Percy contemplated this for a second. What were the chances, realistically? Houston is the biggest city in Texas. But, he'd have to take her word and hope that Ricardo wouldn't turn into a vampire and eat her.
The girl pursed her lips again. "Tell me you won't try anything stupid during the school year, Percy. At least... not without sending your 'acquaintance that just barely tolerates you but is forced to support you' an iris-message?"
Percy managed a smile. "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."
"When me and Annabeth get back next summer," she promised, "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 smirked, and held out his hand for her to shake. She shook it.
"Good luck, Seaweed Brain," Loralai told him. "Don't fall from any national monuments."
"You too, Lava."
Loralai walked down the steps and into the grass, scooping up her bags. Before she could start her climb up the hill, Percy called out, "I think that's called friends!"
She turned back, putting a hand over her eyes so she could see better. "What?"
"'Acquaintances that just barely tolerate each other but are forced to support each other.' I think that's called friends!" He yelled. Loralai laughed, and Percy could swear he could see her amber eyes glitter even from where he was.
"Sure, Seaweed Brain. Friends," she called back, then turned around and climbed up the hill.
Percy watched her walk up Half-Blood Hill and greet Ricardo. She looked back at the valley one last time, touched Thalia's pine tree and allowed her to pass over the crest and into the mortal world. She joined Ricardo, giving him an awkward side hug.
"Well, let's go then, my dear," Ricardo said, with a thick Texan accent that had a hint of posh in it. Loralai chuckled, walking with him to the car.
She glanced back at the last twinge of the sunset, the beams of orange and pink disappearing below the horizon, and smiled. Loralai thought of her mom, how they'd be visiting the town she lived in during her teenage years.
"You have the best qualities of your mother," Hephaestus had said, his comforting voice echoing in his head. Now she knew what one of those qualities were, trust.
Trust in her quest-mates, in her now friend Percy, her long time friend Annabeth, and the satyr and friend that led her to Camp Half-Blood Grover. Trust in her father to claim her when the time was right, trust in Hades to do the right thing and return Percy's mother, and trust in Ricardo.
Trust in Chiron's words, that she would live a hero.
-
(a/n)
- AAAAAANDDDD we're done! i hope you enjoyed act 1!
to recap:
- loralai and percy started off hating eachother at yancy, now they're friends. call eachother seaweed brain and lava (cuties.)
-loralai was brought to camp when she was 7 alongside annabeth, has been there for five years and is now staying with ricardo for the school year in houston. is a daughter of hephaestus and the granddaughter of hades. can control fire, can control mechanics and can shadow travel without necklace.
-loralai's sword is called blackfire. it started off being a celestial bronze blade but now it is a stygian iron sword. she has a necklace that is gold and has a cross with rubies on it. hades cursed it so that whoever wears it is unable to shadow travel.
- the quality of act one is trust!
original characters are...
- oliver caesar (son of apollo, dating caliz, one year older than loralai),
-caliz chung (daughter of hephaestus, dating oliver, two years older than loralai).
-melissa fotia (real name: rosa-- lastname unknown, mother of loralai. said to be cursed and a daughter of hades. she had the necklace because shadow travelling turned her crazy, when she wore it she was fine but when she took it off she went crazy again. she was born one year before world war II, late 1938 (REMEMBER THIS BECAUSE I CHANGED IT, THERE WAS A PLOTHOLE) and repeated youth twice due to a curse put on her from one of her "employers" she was 24 when she had loralai but in reality she would've been 55.
-ricardo valdez, found in lotus casino and lives in texas, somehow knows about demigods...
i think that's all of the basic info you really need to remember! sorry for the long authors note. quote credit, queenofthegrove
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTED ME THROUGHOUT THE FIRST CHAPTER, I LOVE YOU ALLLLLL SOOOO MUCHHHH !!! DON'T FORGET TO VOTE ON THIS CHAPTER PLEASE!
funfact of this chapter: ketchup was used as medicine
-eustelia
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