We stood triumphant on Half-Blood Hill, the first heroes to return alive since Luke's fateful journey. The camp celebrated our return as though we had emerged victorious from a reality-TV contest. Adhering to camp tradition, we adorned laurel wreaths for a grand feast held in our honor. Subsequently, we led a procession down to the bonfire, where we had the honor of setting alight the burial shrouds lovingly crafted by our respective cabins during our absence.
Annabeth's shroud stood as a masterpiece—a work of art with its elegant gray silk adorned with intricate owl embroideries. Clarisse's shroud was red and had the shield of Ares and two crossed spears over it.
As the child of any of the big three, I didn't have cabin mates, but the Ares cabin had offered to create my shroud. They crafted it from blue silk, adorning it with embroidered symbols of the Lightning Bolt, trident, and Helm—a fitting representation of my divine parentage. Watching it burn in the bonfire brought me an odd sense of satisfaction.
Amid the festivities, the Apollo cabin took charge of leading the sing-along and distributing s'mores. Percy was surrounded by his old Hermes cabin mates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, Clarisse, and Grover, who beamed with pride at the brand-new searcher's license he had received from the Council of Cloven Elders. They had commended Grover's performance as "brave to the point of indigestion" and praised him as "horns-and-whiskers above anything we have seen in the past."
During our absence, Grover had not been idle. He had managed to guide not one but three demigods to camp—a daughter of Aphrodite and two children of Hermes.
Even Dionysus's customary welcome-home speech couldn't dampen my spirits. "Yes, yes, so the young brat didn't manage to get himself killed, and now his head will swell even further. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday...."
I had decided to move into cabin three, but it didn't feel quite as homey as I would have liked. I had my friends to train with during the day, and at night, I would lie awake, listening to the calming sounds of the sea.
On the Fourth of July, the entire camp congregated at the beach for a spectacular fireworks display organized by cabin nine. As children of Hephaestus, they refused to settle for mundane red-white-and-blue explosions. They had anchored a barge offshore, laden with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. Annabeth informed me that the fireworks would be sequenced so tightly that they would resemble frames of animation across the sky. The grand finale promised towering Spartan warriors, which would spring to life above the ocean, engage in a fiery battle, and then explode into a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of colors.
While Annabeth and I prepared a picnic blanket on the beach, Grover arrived to bid his farewell. His appearance had undergone subtle changes in the past weeks, making him look almost high-school age, with a thicker goatee and some extra weight. His horns had grown an inch, necessitating the constant use of his Rasta cap to maintain his human facade.
"I'm heading out," he announced. "Just wanted to say... well, you know."
I tried to muster happiness for him. It wasn't every day that a satyr received permission to embark on a quest to find the great god Pan. But bidding farewell was never easy. Although I had known Grover for only a while, he had become a dear friend.
Annabeth embraced him warmly and reminded him to keep his fake feet on. Grover gripped his walking stick and swung a backpack over his shoulder, resembling any hitchhiker you might encounter on an American highway—nothing like the runty boy I used to defend from bullies at Yancy Academy.
"Well," he said, "wish me luck."
He gave Annabeth another affectionate hug and clapped me on the shoulder before turning back and vanishing into the woods. Fireworks erupted overhead, depicting Heracles vanquishing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing a formidable boar, and even George Washington—a son of Athena—crossing the Delaware.
"Hey, Grover!" I called out. He turned at the edge of the woods, his ears perking up. "Wherever you're headed... I hope they make some incredible enchiladas."
Grover's grin widened, and before long, the surrounding trees swallowed him up.
"We'll see him again," Annabeth assured me.
"I believe another adventure may be on the horizon," I replied.
"By the way... I read the book." Annabeth turned to look at me.
"And?"
"There is so much information an proof to go with it that... maybe you are right." She muttered.
"See, I told you that you would understand someday." I grinned at her.
"So... how did you come upon all this information anyways?"
"I had some divine help." I softly laughed thinking of the three creators that had sent me here.
The final night of the summer session arrived all too swiftly. Campers gathered for one last communal meal, a bittersweet affair marked by tradition. They offered a portion of their dinner to the gods, a gesture of gratitude. At the bonfire, senior counselors took center stage, ready to bestow the coveted end-of-summer beads.
To my pleasant surprise, I received a leather necklace of my own. When I laid eyes on the bead representing my first summer, I couldn't help but chuckle. Its design was pitch black, with a sea-green trident and a lightning bolt shimmering at its center. Wish they didn't add the bolt....
"The decision was unanimous," Lance, a child of Athena, proudly declared. "This bead commemorates the first son of the Big Three gods to grace this camp and the heroic quest he undertook into the darkest depths of the Underworld to avert a war!"
<-------------------------->
Standing atop the Empire State Building, I surveyed the sprawling expanse of New York City. The city's iconic skyline stretched out before me, a dazzling display of lights and towering skyscrapers that seemed to reach for the heavens. It was a mesmerizing sight, a testament to the city's ceaseless energy, even when it should have been asleep.
The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in fiery hues of orange and pink. The transition from day to night was a remarkable spectacle, a reminder that amidst the urban chaos, there was still beauty to be found. As the city's lights began to twinkle to life, it was as if a curtain had risen on a grand stage, unveiling the intricate dance of a bustling city.
A cool breeze tousled my hair as I stood there, a solitary figure at the pinnacle of the world. The Empire State Building had always held a special place in my heart, a connection to my adventures and the challenges I had faced as a demigod. It was a vantage point that offered a fleeting moment of serenity, a brief escape from the tumultuous world below.With a deep breath, I willed myself to ascend into the sky, defying gravity with the power of my divine parentage. It was a sensation that never failed to amaze me—the exhilaration of freedom as I soared above the city that had become a second home. Stretching my arms wide, the wind kept me in the air, flying above all of New York.The wind rushed past me as I gained altitude, the city lights below shimmering like stars in the night sky. For a brief moment, I felt like a guardian of the city, a silent observer of the countless lives unfolding beneath me.
As I continued to ascend, my thoughts drifted. The quest for the master bolt had been thrilling, but the confrontation with Heracles had been unexpected. Erebus had forewarned that changes were coming, and while I knew they would be significant, I couldn't fathom why Heracles, of all gods, had chosen to battle me.
New York City sprawled below me like a vast maze, with each neighborhood and borough boasting its own unique character and stories. It was a city of dreams and nightmares, where gods and monsters walked among mortals, often unnoticed by the oblivious masses.
With one foot serving as an aerial platform, I descended toward downtown, my body moving at breakneck speed through the night sky. It was an electrifying sensation, the thrill of moving faster than the eye could follow.I landed gracefully on the steps outside my window, silently sliding it open and slipping inside. My room was a chaotic collage of papers, each one covered in notes and diagrams. I had been diligently planning for the challenges that lay ahead. Marker in hand, I paced back and forth, my mind immersed in the intricacies of my mission.
"Alright, Phase 2: The Sea of Monsters," I muttered to myself. "Or, as I like to call it, Mission: Bermuda."
With a triumphant 'X,' I marked the completed Phase 1 and extended the paper out the window. Blowing a burst of flames, I watched as the sheet turned to ash. The first phase was behind me, and I was ready to move on to the next chapter of my journey.
"My first order of business," I continued, "is to find and locate Tyson. He's a formidable ally and an even better friend. I need to train him to become an exceptional blacksmith and convince Hephaestus to take him on as an apprentice."
I meticulously noted down the details of my plan, my pen nibbling at the end as I considered the finer points. There were countless variables to consider and challenges to overcome, but my determination remained unwavering.
"Next," I contemplated aloud, "I must address Luke and his plan to poison Thalia's tree. Clarisse will be leading the quest, and I'll have to assist her in selecting the right companions. Perhaps the daughter of Aphrodite or the son of Nemesis would be the ideal choices."
I jotted down potential candidates, weighing their strengths and weaknesses. The quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece was of utmost importance, not only for Camp Half-Blood but also for the safety of the entire demigod world.
"And then," I declared with a hint of anticipation, "there's Polyphemus. The day will come when I confront him. I will claim the Elder Cyclopes, and if my knowledge is correct that artifact that Adias had told me about would be there. I will retrieve it, and i will have to decide if I want to add him to my ever growing group of shadow servants."
The pieces of my plan were falling into place, each step carefully considered and meticulously thought out. With newfound determination, I reviewed my notes one last time, satisfied with the path I had charted.
Once again, I extended the papers out the window and ignited them with a burst of flames, watching the ashes drift away on the night breeze. A sense of exhilaration washed over me as I closed the window and settled onto my bed.
"Wait and see," I whispered with a grin. "I'm coming for you."