𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐆𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐘.
not screaming at him was strange.
almost instantly, everybody noticed how quiet they were.
the kids has arrived back at camp just after clarisse had.
the centaurs were anxious to meet dionysus. they'd heard he threw some really wild parties, but they were disappointed.
the whole camp gathered at the top of half-blood hill.
the arts and crafts cabin had burned to the ground from
an attack.
the big house's rooms were overflowing with wounded.
the kids in the apollo cabin, who were the best healers, had been working overtime performing first aid.
everybody looked like shit.
clarisse draped the golden fleece over the lowest bough of thalia's tree.
a cool breeze rustled in the branches.
the fireflies glowed a little brighter, and cherry could smell the strawberry fields.
percy could hear the waves on the beach.
the needles on the pine tree changed from brown to green.
everybody cheered.
the fleece's magic was getting rid of the poison.
a guard was ordered to the top of the hilltop.
clarisse was carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where she was honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire.
late in the night, the camp roasted s'mores and listened to the stoll brothers tell a ghost story.
percy, unusually, took a seat beside cherry.
the entire aphrodite cabin made an 'ooh' sound.
the pair didn't say a word, but the look in her eye and the smile she wore made percy realize that things were better.
« ───── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ───── »
the next morning, the party ponies headed back to florida.
chiron made an announcement. the chariot races would go ahead as scheduled.
tyson wasn't excited to get back on a chariot, but was excited to team up with percy, cherry, and annabeth.
percy worked with the horses, while tyson fixed up athena's chariot.
annabeth and percy agreed that if they won, the prize of no chores for the rest of the month would be split between the two cabins.
percy didn't care about the prize, he just wanted to win.
the night before the race, him and cherry had stayed in the stable.
they sat together in front of the horses.
for the last week, it was like they chose silence.
they didn't know what would come out of their mouths if they spoke, so they chose to say nothing.
at least it was a comforting silence.
"i wanted to kill you too, you know." cherry told him, staring at the moonlight that was visible through the open building.
"that's comforting." percy commented, sarcastically. he saw the look on her face, and shut up. "sorry, uh, continue."
"i wanted to kill you for what you did to my mom. but that wasn't your fault."
"i thought you killed my mom. i shouldn't have gone so insane. killing you was way out of hand. i just felt like- my mom is the only person i've ever had. and i thought you'd taken her away from me. i'm sorry."
"don't be. i would get like that too, if that happened to my dad."
"i think your dad wants to kill me."
"he does."
percy giggled at the girls laughter.
despite not having a perfect apology, they were actually starting to get along.
even though grover would secretly miss the funny bickering, they were better off as friends.
the next morning, everybody was talking about the chariot race.
there was still lingering paranoia that something would go wrong, but camp was back to normal.
annabeth, percy, and cherry dove onto the track.
tyson had done incredible work on the athena chariot. it gleamed bronze, and the wheels glided along perfectly.
tyson had also made javelins, each with three buttons on the shaft.
the first button primed the javelin to explode on impact, releasing razor wire that would tangle and shred an opponent's wheels.
the second button pro-duced a blunt bronze spearhead designed to knock a driver out of their carriage.
the third button brought up a grappling hook that could be used to lock onto an enemy's chariot or push it away.
cherry knew they would win.
tyson insisted they be careful, anyways.
sometime before the race, tyson made his way to percy, and silently handed him a wristwatch.
cherry admired the object.
tyson had spent all summer making it.
"thanks, man." percy smiled.
"didn't finish in time for the trip." tyson mumbled. "sorry, sorry."
"hey, man. no big deal."
"if you need protection in race, hit the button."
"ah, okay. i promise i'll remember it. and, hey, um, tyson.. i wanted to say, well.."
"i know what you will tell me, poseidon did care for me after all."
"uh, well-"
"he sent you to help me. just what i asked for."
"you asked poseidon for ... me?"
"for a friend. young cyclopes grow up alone on the streets, learn to make things out of scraps. learn to survive."
"but that's so cruel!"
"makes us appreciate blessings, not be greedy and mean like polyphemus. but i got scared. monsters chased me so much, clawed me sometimes-"
"the scars on your back?"
"sphinx on seventy-second street. big bully. i prayed to daddy for help. soon the people at meriwether found me. met you. biggest blessing ever. sorry i said poseidon was mean. he sent me a brother."
with that, cherry had begun to cry.
percy's eyes widened, and he was quick to look at the girl beside him.
"i'm sorry!" tyson's eyes widened.
"i love you so much, tyson!" cherry threw her arms around him.
"guys!" annabeth called. "come on!"
chiron was at the starting line, ready to blow the conch.
"go." tyson motioned them. "you will win!"
"yeah, okay, big guy. we'll win this one for you." percy climbed on board the chariot and got into position
just as chiron blew the starting signal.
cherry sat in between him and annabeth.
annabeth smiled.
"are you ready?" she questioned her.
"obviously." cherry grinned.
the horses raced down the track so fast.
cherry erupted into laughter, grabbing his arm so he wouldn't fall off.
annabeth giggled as she clutched onto the rail.
up ahead, clarisse was busy trying to fight off a javelin attack from the stoll brothers in the hermes chariot.
"we've got 'em!" percy yelled.
"no we don't!" cherry yelled back.
"incoming!" annabeth shouted.
she threw her first javelin in grappling hook mode, knocking away a lead-weighted net that would have entangled the entire chariot.
apollo's chariot had come up on their flank.
before annabeth could re-arm herself, the apollo warrior threw a javelin into our right wheel.
the javelin shattered, and snapped some of our spokes.
our chariot lurched and wobbled.
somehow, they kept going.
percy urged the horses to keep up their speed. now, their chariot was tied with the apollo team. the hephaestus team came up close behind.
the ares team and the hermes team were falling behind, riding side by side as clarisse went sword-on-javelin with connor stoll.
"you're mine!" the driver from apollo yelled.
"yeah, right!" annabeth yelled back.
cherry tossed the javelin towards annabeth, who threw it at the apollo driver.
her aim was perfect.
"that was so cool!" cherry grinned.
the javelin grew a heavy spear point just as it caught the driver in the chest, knocking him against his teammate and sending them both toppling out of their chariot in a backward somersault.
the horses felt the reins go slack and went crazy, riding straight for the crowd.
campers scrambled for cover as the horses leaped the corner of the bleachers and the golden chariot flipped over.
the horses galloped back toward their stable, dragging the upside-down chariot behind them.
percy held their chariot together through the second turn, despite the groaning of the right wheel.
cherry cheered as they passed the starting line.
it was their final lap.
"our wheel is fucked!" cherry peered over the edge.
the hephaestus team was still gaining on them.
beckendorf grinned as he pressed a button on his command console.
steel cables shot out of the front of his mechanical horses, wrapping around the back rail.
the chariot shuddered as beckendorf's winch system started working, pulling them backward while beckendorf pulled himself forward.
cherry mumbled complaints.
she drew her knife from out of her pocket, and tried to slice the cables.
"can't cut them!" annabeth yelled, as she kept track of the hephaestus chariot. "i'll switch percy, and then you seixuu with me!"
they all switched places.
annabeth grabbed the reins.
cherry kept watch.
percy uncapped riptide, and slashed down. the cables snapped like kite string.
the chariot lurched forward, but beckendorf's driver just swung his chariot to their left and pulled up next to them.
beckendorf drew his sword. he slashed at cherry, and percy parried the blade away.
annabeth controlled the reins. they were coming my up on the last turn.
how would percy disable the hephaestus chariot, and protect cherry?
clarisse came up from behind, making up for lost time.
"see ya, percy!" beckendorf yelled. "here's a little parting gift!"
he threw a leather pouch into their chariot.
it stuck to the floor immediately and began billowing green smoke.
"greek fire." cherry realized, trying to kick it out of the chariot.
"get rid of it!" annabeth shouted.
"how?" cherry questioned. "i'm not gonna pick it up!"
percy managed to punch the stopwatch button.
instantly, the watch changed.
it expanded, the metal rim spiraling outward like an old-fashioned camera shutter, a leather strap wrapping around percy's forearm until he was holding a round war shield four feet wide.
percy raised the shield, and beckendorf's sword clanged against it. his blade shattered.
percy knocked him in the chest with the new shield and sent him flying out of his chariot, tumbling into the dirt.
cherry kneeled down, and used the edge of her knife under the leather pouch, and tossed it at another chariot.
it flew into the hephaestus chariot at the driver's feet. he
yelped.
the driver dove out of the chariot, which exploded in green flames.
the metal horses seemed to short-circuit.
they turned and dragged the burning wreckage back toward clarisse and the stoll brothers, who had to swerve to avoid it.
annabeth pulled the reins for the last turn.
percy held on, as annabeth spurred the horses across the finish line.
the crowd roared.
their friends mobbed the trio when the chariot stopped.
"hold up! listen! it wasn't just us!" annabeth yelled. "we couldn't have done it without somebody else! we couldn't have won this race or gotten the fleece or saved grover or anything! we owe our lives to tyson, percy's.."
"brother!" percy spoke, loud enough for everybody to hear. "tyson, my baby brother."
tyson smiled in the crowd.
"i love you tyson!" cherry yelled out.
the crowd cheered.
cherry smiled at percy's words about tyson.
annabeth planted a kiss on his cheek.
cherry stopped smiling.