THIRTEEN—Homecoming
─── ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽☼☾.* :☆ﾟ｡ ───
Someone must have carried Lux and Ciaran to the infirmary, for the next morning, she woke up to a familiar ceiling.
For a moment, when her brain was still addled with sleep, she was gripped with panic. Was everything nothing but a dream, after all?
Lux nearly kicked the blanket off the bed with how fast she got up, her eyes darting around the room frantically. Her eyes fell on the person lying in the bed next to her, her shoulders falling in relief when she recognized the peaceful sleeping face of her brother.
It was dawn, but all strength seemed to leave her at that moment when she realized everything that happened yesterday was real. Ciaran was alive, and he did come back. She wasn't sure how, but it was the least of her concerns. Right now, all she needed to know was whether he was injured.
She slipped off the bed and walked over to his bedside. From a quick glance, there were no visible wounds on his face, though his skin was paler and more ashen than she remembered, as though his life was zapped out of him.
Lux stretched out a hand to touch him, but her fingers curled back in hesitation. What if this was all an illusion, and as soon as she touched him, he would disappear into thin air? She already had enough emotional turmoil for a day.
After a while, she gained enough courage to poke his cheek with her finger. Her heart nearly gave out when it made contact with his skin. He didn't stir. He was like her in that way, sleeping like the dead.
So he was real, after all. She wasn't dreaming.
Lux resisted the urge to crumble to the floor. She could finally breathe normally again.
She silently moved the blanket, bracing herself for what was underneath.
He had been changed out of his dirty clothes, and there were no bandages or signs of injury anywhere, though there were faint rope marks on his wrists. It looked like he had been bound, but by who?
After putting the blanket back into place, Lux pulled up a chair to sit by his bed. Knowing her brother, he wouldn't wake up anytime soon, but at least she would feel comforted being close to him.
"Lux! I'm glad to see you up," Michael said as he walked through the door. "How are you feeling?"
She opened her mouth to greet him, but all that left her were intense coughs. It appeared her throat still hadn't recovered from all the crying she did last night.
"Whoa, be careful there." He poured her a glass of water. "Here. Wouldn't want you to choke to death."
Lux downed the entire glass and let out a thankful sigh. She then gave Michael back the glass and motioned to Ciaran.
"Right, you must be worried about him," he said. "We gave him a check-up, and we didn't find any life-threatening injuries. We suspect that he's just exhausted. All he needs to do is rest."
Lux's lips curved into a relieved smile.
"He sure shocked all of us, appearing from the shadow like that." Michael crossed his arms. His forehead creased the slightest bit as a thought passed through his mind. He shrugged the expression off. "Well, the good thing is that he's alive, right?"
Lux nodded and intertwined her hand with Ciaran's, using her thumb to trace random patterns on the back of his hand. No matter what shape she began with, she would always end with a heart.
People came and went throughout the day, wanting to ask how Ciaran was and check up on Lux at the same time. Quinn showed up bearing a bouquet of bright golden sunflowers and blue irises accented with green foliage.
"Some flowers have the ability to give off positive energy," Quinn said as he touched the petals. "I hope these will let him know that we're thinking of him."
Meanwhile, Lou Ellen pulled her aside to cite theories on how Ciaran could have escaped from the Underworld.
"Shadow travel?" Lux echoed.
The daughter of Hecate nodded. "It's how the Underworld deities are able to freely travel between the land of the living and dead. They slip into the shadow and arrive at where they want to go. It's the only way I can think of that could allow Ciaran to show up at camp like that."
"It does sound plausible," Lux said. It did seem like her brother had appeared out of thin air.
"If Ciaran's able to do it, that means he's a very powerful demigod."
"Are you able to do it too, Lou?"
She shook her head. "I inherited many cool powers from my mom, but shadow travel wasn't one of them. But I think this confirms that Ciaran has very strong ties to the Underworld."
In a later conversation with Annabeth, Lux asked for more details on what exactly happened in Hades' throne room.
"I never want to go back there ever again." Annabeth shuddered. "If nightmares had a nightmare, that would be it."
"Sounds on brand for the Lord of the Dead."
"But we were wrong about his motivations." She then relayed everything that transpired between them and the God of the Underworld.
"Gods, my brother is an idiot." Lux slapped her forehead with her palm when she heard about how Ciaran had made a promise on the River Styx so he could sacrifice himself for his friends.
"He had courage, I'll tell you that. Blind courage, but it took guts to stand against a god like Hades."
"Do you think he could be bluffing when he declared Ciaran wasn't his son?" Lux asked. "I mean, from what you guys have been telling me, the signs seem to point to him."
"It's possible Hades is keeping his cards close to his chest," Annabeth said, furrowing her eyebrows. "But I think Ciaran could also be the son of any number of Underworld gods. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see."
Lux fell back into her chair. There were still so many questions, and the people who held the answers were unwilling to reveal them. She glanced at her sleeping brother and let out a groan. "This is all so confusing. But thanks for telling me, Annie. Now I feel bad for lashing out at Percy yesterday."
"Lux, you were in shock, and you didn't know all the details of what happened."
"That's exactly why what I did was wrong. I put the blame on him when I shouldn't have. I made him feel bad when it was clear it wasn't his fault, and he also had to make the difficult decision to leave his mom behind." She sat up straighter as her eyes flashed with determination. "I'm going to make it up to him."
"Well, as long as you're sincere, he'll forgive you. He's not the type to hold long grudges."
Lux raised her eyebrows. "I see this quest has helped to warm him up to you."
"He might have a brain filled with seaweed, but he's a good person." Annabeth lightly jabbed Lux's ribs when she noticed the person standing in the doorway. "Speak of the devil."
Percy shuffled his feet as he held Ciaran's sketchbook. He had fought against monsters, went to the Underworld, faced gods and dueled with one, and yet here he was, unable to take another step inside.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. She then walked over and gave Percy a push on his back before announcing, "I have things to do. I'm going to leave you two alone to talk."
They watched as she left, their eyes inevitably meeting. They tore their gazes away, suddenly not knowing how to act.
Lux felt guilty for how she behaved yesterday, and she knew that she needed to be the one who made the first move.
She gave him a light smile and gestured to the seat next to her, where Annabeth was just sitting, as an open invitation.
"How's Ciaran doing?" Percy asked, softer than she was used to.
"Michael said he's not in any danger, he just needs to rest."
"I'm glad. You guys gave us all a fright yesterday, fainting like that."
"To be honest, I was frightened too." Lux gripped her shorts. She barely had any time at all to come up with how to apologize to him. If only she had more time.
But Annabeth had told her she simply needed to be sincere, so Lux listened to what had guided her all her life: her heart.
"I'm sorry I blamed you for what happened to Ciaran. Annabeth told me everything that happened, and I understand I was wrong to react the way I did."
"You don't have to apologize for your feelings, Lux. You thought you'd lost your brother. Anyone would've reacted the way you did. I felt the same way when I thought I couldn't save my mom."
Ever since Percy came to camp, the subject of his mom had always been sensitive to him. Even now, after she was rescued, there was a hint of vulnerability in his voice when he talked about her.
"I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for you to make that decision." She paused and lowered her head. For a brief minute, it was as though they were sharing a moment of solidarity. "Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"When you received the prophecy from the Oracle, did she mention anything about leaving someone behind or not being able to save what matters most to you?"
He whipped his head around in shock. "How did you know that?"
"I had a dream I was falling through the Underworld, and I saw my brother asleep at the foot of Hades' throne. Before I woke up, I heard a voice reciting what sounded like a line of prophecy. I didn't know what it was referring to, but I knew it couldn't be good."
"Funny, I thought the same thing when I heard it." Percy chuckled sardonically. "Definitely isn't the best thing to hear when you're about to go on your first quest."
"Well, the good thing is that it all worked out, in a way." But deep in Lux's heart, she knew that she wouldn't be able to forget that fear for a while. Even now, it clung like tiny cobwebs in her stomach, too high for her to sweep away.
"It would've worked out better if we had more pearls," Percy said. "I asked my father about that, by the way. He also believed Ciaran could be Hades' son and wanted to force him to show his hand. If Hades knew there was no way out for Ciaran, he wouldn't risk letting him stay, knowing that he could die if he remained in the Underworld for too long. And if he spared Ciaran's life, he had to answer why. But my father didn't expect Hades to loudly declare that Ciaran wasn't his son. Don't worry, I gave him a good talking to for you."
"Thanks, Percy." Her heart swelled like a ball of sunshine. "You didn't have to."
"It wasn't right for him to assume something like that."
There was silence for a while before Percy remembered what was in his hand. "Oh right, I never got the chance to give this to you yesterday." He gave her a light-hearted accusing look. "You were ignoring me."
"Sorry." She was sheepish as she received the sketchbook. She ran her hand over the cover, which was a simple piece of paper with Ciaran's handwriting stating the owner of the book.
She gently flipped the pages, looking over sketches of New York City, rolling meadows, the Medusa head that he showed her, the Gateway Arch, the view of a glamorous city from high up.
"I drew that one." Percy pointed at the waves when she looked closer at some of the tiny doodles scattered all over the sketchbook.
"Very nice. And who drew this one?" She gestured to a flower that was drawn in a different style.
"That was Grover. And this one's done by Annabeth." He referred to the owl sketch on the next page. These sketches made the memories come back to him as he relived all the ups and downs of his journey. "When Ciaran gave this to me, he wanted me to tell you about all the places in these drawings, but now that he's back, I'll let him do the talking."
As Lux looked at these drawings, she felt like she could see each stroke of the pencil forming and hear the sounds of the places where these sketches took place. It made her think of the quiet late afternoons when she would peek at him drawing over her book, entranced with every movement of pencil over the paper.
"There was only one other time when I was separated from Ciaran," Lux said, a particular memory washing over her. "When we were young, a foster couple was interested in taking Ciaran in. The caretakers at the children's home knew how attached we were to each other, so they asked if the couple wanted to take me in, too. But they declined. They only wanted my brother. I was too little to understand much of anything. I only knew that he was leaving. I didn't want him to leave, but for us orphans, every day one of us got fostered was supposed to be a happy day. So I hid my tears and smiled at him, telling him always to remember me.
"A few months after, Ciaran was sent back to the home. The couple said that they couldn't get used to his sleeping habits, and they think it's creepy that he just stayed up all night." Lux gripped the edge of the paper. "I could never forget the look on his face that day. It made me feel so guilty that I was a little happy inside that he was back. That day, I made a promise that I would always protect him, and make sure that he's happy."
Tears began welling up in her eyes before she could stop them. "I was so scared. I thought I would never see him again."
She only had enough time to slam the book closed before she started crying again. It was not the kind of all-consuming, intense anguish she went through yesterday, but more mellow, both parts sad and grateful.
Percy didn't know the right thing to do in this situation. He didn't think words would be enough. Instead, he clasped her hand and squeezed it lightly, hoping that this would convey what he couldn't say.
They stayed silently like that, with the only sound heard being Lux's quiet sobs. At one point, they moved closer, with Lux leaning on Percy's shoulder, her tears darkening his shirt. He didn't mind. He held her hand tighter.
She was able to calm down after a while, drying her tears as she looked at Percy apologetically. "I'm sorry I ruined your shirt."
"It's okay. Are you feeling better now?"
She nodded. "Thanks for taking care of Ciaran."
"I didn't do much." Percy turned to look at the sleeping boy. For a second, guilt marred the surface of his eyes. "Besides, he took care of us, too."
Now she really needed to make it to him.
"I'm planning on making some strawberry popsicles later this week. Would you like some?"
"I'd like that," he said. A thought came to his head. "My mom's probably going to send cookies later this week, too. I can bring some to you. We can do an exchange of sorts."
Lux smiled, bright enough to dispel the gloom in her heart. "I'd like that."
─── ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽☼☾.* :☆ﾟ｡ ───
It had been almost a week since Ciaran's return, and he still had not woken up.
When Michael and Will consulted Chiron, the centaur inspected Ciaran and told them there was nothing overtly wrong with him. There was a high possibility that something had drained all of his energy, and he needed time to replenish it. There was nothing to worry about.
That was easier said than done.
Lux spent so much time in the infirmary that Will reminded her she needed to participate in camp, too. He promised her that as soon as Ciaran woke up, she would be the first to hear about it.
Lux kept herself positive, even as more days passed. She went about her days as usual, throwing herself into camp activities, breathing easier now that everything had been resolved and no one was fighting anymore. There were still a few skirmishes here and there, but they were in good fun. By the time the dust settled, everyone was smiling and laughing.
In her breaks during the afternoons, she would spend a few hours sitting by Ciaran's bedside. Sometimes, she would talk to him, telling him about everything that had happened: who was spotted kissing who, who initiated a pillow fight this time in Cabin Eleven, who the Stoll twins pranked, which cabin won Capture the Flag, who was thrown into the lake as a joke.
She wanted to tell him everything so that when he woke up, he wouldn't have missed a thing.
Sometimes, she would read her book quietly or go over his sketchbook for what felt like the umpteenth time. She had heard all about the quest from Annabeth, Percy, and Grover—laughing at Percy's attempt to tame Cerberus with a wooden stick, and fully convinced that he had a death wish if he wasn't hesitant to face off against the God of War—but she wanted to hear the story from Ciaran's own perspective.
What did he think about when he encountered Medusa? Was the Underworld really such a cold and dark place? Was confronting Hades as terrifying as they all said?
All the questions that she couldn't wait to find the answers to.
It was a July afternoon like any other, so sweltering hot and balmy that everyone's definition of a good time turned into a splash into the lake. As the day descended into the afternoon, it did little to temper the summer sun. Lux didn't mind the heat. She never had.
She and Percy were walking along the beach, their feet submerged in the shallow water, their ankles caressed by the foamy waves.
"Have you figured out what you want to do after summer yet?" Lux asked.
"Not really. My mom said she found a good private school in the city for me," Percy said. "But now that Smelly Gabe's gone, there's nothing to hide my scent. I'm worried that I'll only bring more trouble to her. Maybe it isn't so bad to stay year-round. I wouldn't have to adjust to a new school and find new friends."
"It's up to you. But hey, if you come back to the city, you can always hang out with Ciaran and me."
"Are your parents going to be fine with that?"
"They can be convinced."
Lux and Ciaran's parents had followed the news and had written Lux a panic-filled letter asking why Ciaran's face was plastered all over national television with other kids. Lux explained as best as she could without alarming them (leaving out the Underworld part) and assured them everything would be fine.
Their fears wouldn't be assuaged that easily, and they demanded more answers, especially about that Percy Jackson they were hearing so much about. Needless to say, her parents' first impression of Percy wasn't that great, but Lux was determined to improve it.
"I'll think about it."
It would've been a relaxing walk like any other if Grover hadn't run over to them, his hooves thumping against the sand.
The satyr caught his breath and said something that got all of them to sprint.
"Ciaran's awake."
They burst into the infirmary, where Chiron and Annabeth were already waiting for them. Lux came to a stop right at the foot of Ciaran's bed. Her brother was sitting upright, and his face had more color now that he was up.
A torrent of emotions took over her, and Lux jumped over to give him a hug.
"CC!"
"W-whoa! Gentle...gentle, Lux. I...just got up."
His voice was hoarse and raspy, no doubt from not using his throat for two weeks. His hands were shaking as he weakly patted her back.
"Ciaran Caelestis Rhodes. What were you thinking scaring all of us like that?"
He smiled. "It's...good to see you too, Lux."
Her angry facade crumbled, and all she felt was overwhelming relief. She got off the bed and turned to Chiron. "Is he okay?"
The centaur nodded. "We gave him some nectar and ambrosia to help with his recovery. He's a little tired, but other than that, there's nothing wrong."
"Ooh, what did it taste like?" Grover asked excitedly.
"Like a hot fudge sundae."
Lux couldn't help but smile nostalgically. That was what Ciaran got the first time their parents took them out for ice cream.
"It's good to see you up, Ciaran," Percy said. "But what happened? How did you get out of the Underworld?"
Ciaran cleared his throat several times. "When you guys left, lucky for me, Hades didn't turn me into a worm or anything. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep not long after. Maybe it was his influence. When I woke up, he had returned your mom, Percy. You should've seen his face as he held the helm. He was livid." Ciaran chuckled and then stopped for a moment to clear his throat again. "He said my promise to the River Styx was fulfilled, but he had no obligation to bring me back. Before he threw me out of the throne room, he only told me two things: think of the place I want to return to the most, and trust in the dark.
"I found myself wandering to Persephone's garden, not knowing what he meant. Thinking of the place was the easy part. Of course I wanted to return to camp. But trusting the dark?" Ciaran shook his head. "I thought about camp instead, how hopefully you all would be back by now. I thought about you, Lux, and how you're definitely going to kill me. Before I knew it, I kept imagining camp. I could almost smell the food and hear the sound of the crackling bonfire. The next thing I knew, I was in a tunnel of sorts. I did the first thing that came to mind: I ran. I kept running and running, hoping that it was Camp Half-Blood on the other side. And then the shadow spat me out in front of everyone."
When he finished, no one really knew what to say. They were all glad he made it out, but the circumstances of it were still so unknown. Chiron and Annabeth shared a look, indicating that they had glimpsed something from his story.
"It sounded like you shadow-travelled," Annabeth said.
"What's that?"
"Lou mentioned that," Lux said. "She said it's how Underworld deities travel, by using the shadow."
"Huh." Ciaran looked down at his hands. "I didn't know I could do that."
"There's no need for you to think too much of it right now. The important thing is that you're back here safely," Chiron said as he put a hand on Ciaran's shoulder. "I'm sure you want to catch up with your sister. Why don't we give you some privacy?"
"Oh, there's no need—" Before Lux could finish her sentence, Annabeth had herded Percy and Grover out of the room.
Lux sat on the chair she had sat on so many times, but there was no need for her to talk with an unconscious body this time.
"You're right, CC. I would've killed you if you didn't return," Lux said.
"Good thing I'm back then." He laughed. "Did Percy give you my sketchbook?"
"He did." She stood up. "I'm going to get it real quick, and I want to hear everything, no details left out."
They spent the entire afternoon talking, with Lux eagerly listening to everything that Ciaran said even as her alertness began to wane. She drank in each and every word, internally telling herself to stay awake so she wouldn't miss a thing.
"How did you feel when Hades said you weren't his son?"
"Oh you know, I was disappointed." The lightness of his voice did little to conceal the melancholy in his eyes. "Really disappointed, actually. But looking back on it now, I didn't feel anything when I stood in front of him, you know? Like, I've always thought that when I meet my birth parents, something in me would recognize them immediately, and I would just know. Sure, I'm sad that I'm not closer to finding out who they were, but it's not all bad. I did eliminate one possibility."
"And now you're sure that your godly parent is from the Underworld."
"It's a start."
Lux reached over to hold his hand. "It's a good start."
─── ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽☼☾.* :☆ﾟ｡ ───
On the Fourth of July, the entire camp gathered on the beach to watch a firework display choreographed by Cabin Nine. Lux never got to watch the end of the show, she always fell asleep before then. But this time, she wanted to stay awake to say goodbye to Grover, who was leaving for his search for Pan.
"Did you pack enough tin cans for the trip?"
"Yes, Lux."
"And you remembered your reed pipes?" Annabeth piped in.
"Yeah."
"Remember to not push yourself too hard."
"And take breaks!"
"Alright, jeez," Grover grumbled, but they could all see he was smiling. "You two are like a bunch of old mama goats."
He gave Annabeth and Lux one last hug, and clapped Ciaran and Percy on the back before disappearing behind the shade of the trees to embark on his own journey.
Lux knew they would see him again.
The month passed by quicker than any of them anticipated. Before they knew it, the last night of the summer session was here. At the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.
Ciaran and Percy got their own leather necklaces and their first beads: a pitch-black sphere with a shimmering sea-green trident in the center.
"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first son of the Sea God at camp, and the quest he overtook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"
Roars erupted all over camp as everyone cheered. Lux clapped slower than everyone else, but she did manage to give Percy a smile through her fuzzy mind.
The next morning, Hermes' Cabin was a battleground of stomping feet and brooms desperately sweeping over layers of dust that gathered around the sleeping bags. Lux had finished packing faster than anyone else and did her part in cleaning the cabin. With so much time to spare before her parents got here to pick her and Ciaran up, she decided to sit with Annabeth while overlooking the woods.
"I decided to take Percy's advice," Annabeth said.
Lux's eyes widened in shock. "You mean you've really decided to go home with your father?"
Annabeth tugged at the grass under her, but not too hard to yank them. "What Ciaran said helped me make the decision, too. I just hope it's the right one."
"It will be if you both make it work." Lux threw her arms around Annabeth. "I'm happy for you, Annie. It took courage to make the first move."
Annabeth laid her head on Lux's shoulder. "Is it normal for me to be a little nervous?"
"There's nothing wrong with that. You haven't seen your dad in a while, of course you're going to be nervous. But you're going to get through it, because there's nothing this Brainiac can't do."
"I'm gonna miss you, Sleeping Beauty."
"Me too. But we'll see each other next summer."
Their moment of peace was broken by a disturbance in the wind. From their viewpoint, two nymphs were carrying someone out of the woods. a counselor dashed by them, and the next thing they knew, shouts of "help" were heard.
Lux and Annabeth rushed over without a second thought, their hearts stopping when they saw who the person was.
"Percy!"
His face was deadly green, and to their horror, his skin was turning grayer by the second. Sweat clung to his forehead, and they could barely hear the sound of his breathing. A conch horn blew in the distance, along with the sound of hooves. Chiron was beside them in an instant, his expression grave as he looked the demigod over.
"What happened to him? Is he going to be okay?" Lux asked frantically.
"He's been poisoned. Quick, get him onto my back. Michael!" He called the nearby son of Apollo. "I need you to come with me to the infirmary. Do your best to heal him on the way."
"Yes, Chiron!"
Michael jumped onto Chiron's back with Percy in tow and the centaur trotted off in the direction of the Big House. Annabeth and Lux looked at each other, and they knew what they had to do. They ran after them.
The girls barged through the infirmary to insist on helping. For the next few hours, the room was a flurry of rapid activities. Chiron identified the poison to be from a highly dangerous scorpion. The remaining children of Apollo assisted him in healing, while the girls cleaned his sweat and fetched nectar when needed. They all finally breathed a sigh of relief when Percy was declared stable. The only thing now is to wait for him to wake up.
It was late into the afternoon, and Lux was dabbing sweat off Percy's forehead with a washcloth while trying not to yawn when she felt him stir and scrunch his face. They all focused on the movement, and in the next second, he opened his eyes.
He was in a daze, his eyes glassy as he tried to focus his vision.
"You idiot," Annabeth said as she held the cup of nectar beside him. "You were green and turning gray when we found you. If it weren't for Chiron's healing..."
"Now, now," Chiron said in his disguise. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit. How are you feeling?"
"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved."
"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom. Now you must tell me, if you can, exactly what happened."
The room went pin-drop quiet as he told his story of Luke's betrayal. As Lux listened to him, she couldn't believe her ears. She had always seen Luke as the dependable older brother who took care of everyone. He was warm, friendly, and kind. He was the one who helped guide her so many times during her first summer here. How could he have done this? But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that there were some signs. Annabeth mentioned that he was never the same ever since his last quest, and Lux was reminded of his nightmares.
He mumbled in his sleep sometimes, and he sounded truly afraid for his life. It must have been Kronos who haunted his dreams. That's why he didn't want her to ask more about it.
Lux felt dizzy, but she wasn't sure if it was due to her incoming bouts of sleepiness or the feeling of having a rug pulled from under her.
"I can't believe that Luke..." Annabeth's voice faltered. Her expression turned angry and sad. "Yes. Yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him...He was never the same after his quest."
Lux didn't feel much conviction in her words.
"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."
"Who knows where he is right now?" Lux said quietly. "We'll be going into it blind."
Percy frowned. He didn't like the idea of staying put, but one look at his hand and he knew he wouldn't be picking up a sword for a while.
"Chiron...your prophecy from the Oracle...it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Annabeth? Maybe even Lux?"
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," he 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. 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 wanted to continue protesting, but Chiron's expression let him know that was the end of their discussion.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. Argus will watch over you." He glanced at Annabeth. "Oh, and my dear...whenever you're ready, they're here."
"Who's here?" Percy asked.
The rest of them didn't need an answer, and the person in question was in no rush to provide them.
"What's wrong?" Percy asked Annabeth, who was more interested in the ice in his drink.
"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, I don't think that's a good idea right now," Lux said.
He slid his legs off the bed, stubborn as ever. Lux and Annabeth caught him before he could crumble to the floor. He looked like he could puke any minute.
"Maybe it's better if we get you back to..."
"I'm fine." He gritted his teeth and stepped forward. By the time they led him to the porch, it was dusk.
The camp was almost completely deserted. It was so silent that it felt foreign. Lux leaned her arms on the railing and watched the the camp in last light through lidded eyes.
She listened to Percy and Annabeth's conversation in bits and pieces, right until when Annabeth suggested they go on a quest next summer to hunt Luke down.
"Count me in." She raised her hand. "I want to know why he did what he did."
"Of course. It's about time you embark on a quest as well," Annabeth said.
Annabeth and Percy said their goodbyes, and she gave Lux one more hug, promising to keep in touch, before joining her family up on the hill. She gave her father an awkward hug and looked back at the valley one last time. She touched Thalia's pine tree, and walked down the crest to the mortal world.
"Are you any closer to making your decision?" Lux turned to Percy.
"I think so."
"If you do decide to return, let me know. My parents can give you a ride."
Percy smiled, now looking much better than he did before. He looked out at Long Island Sound, and Lux could see he was thinking of his father.
From the distance, Ciaran was running towards them, finally awake.
"I heard about what happened," he said when he got to them. "What on earth did you get yourself into this time, Percy?"
He sighed. "It's a long story. Why don't I catch you up with it on the way back to the cabins? I need to pack my bags."
Percy glanced at Lux. Nothing more needed to be said.
Later, when Percy and Ciaran resembled dots on the path winding back to the cabins, Argus gestured to the top of the hill, where the familiar silhouettes of her parents were waiting.
Lux walked down from the porch and towards Half-Blood Hill.
It was time for them to go home.