#what Grover should’ve said

[apollosbisexualass]

Mr Brunner: Percy, there’s no one here named Mrs Dodds

Grover: As a follower of Dionysus I really don’t think this is good for his mental health

[convolutings]

Look don’t get me wrong I love the PJO TV show. The cast is perfect and some moments that were added I absolutely loved. But… there are some things I felt were so well done in the book there was no need to change it and I’m a little disappointed by the adaptation’s version.

Some of these takes I saw from other people and it put into words what I was feeling so I’m just expanding on what they said.

1. Gabe could’ve been worse. We are supposed to get mean Smelly Gabe vibes and Sally isn’t supposed to feel comfortable standing up to him. I understand “girl boss” and disneys restrictions but it still wasn’t great. I’m hoping they add something towards the end so his murder feels deserved.

Edit: upon a rewatch I take this back and believe Gabe was still abusive, if not physically as in the book, but as manipulative and demanding which is still abuse so I actually appreciate the changes they made now.

2. Sally felt off. Like they read her plot points but didn’t understand her character. She is wholesome and kind and devoted to Percy. The Sally we know never would’ve put that much pressure on Grover, plus him putting the pressure on himself is vital to his character. They also made her seemingly pine for Poseidon. They shouldn’t have changed the way she described her relationship with him and the choices she made to keep Percy safe. (I will say though that the Jesus joke was perfect and hilarious)

Edit: upon rewatch I still believe the wholesomeness was lost a little but I have come to like her character more and think these changes allow for greater depth into Sally’s story which I’m excited for.

3. We should’ve gotten Percy remembering the warm glow of Poseidon. I thought it was important that Poseidon broke the rules and came to see Percy when he was a baby and had that memory.

4. Percy thinking that Annabeth looked like a goddess when he first saw her was so cute and said a lot about how he viewed her. I think they should’ve kept it.

5. I think Luke being the one to guide Percy around the camp was a great choice, but Annabeth should’ve been part of welcoming scenes. And Grover should’ve been the one to tell the story of Thalia.

Edit: Episode 3’s reveal of Grover’s story was genius I take this back!

6. The claiming in the book was perfect! There was no reason to change the dialogue or have the trident not be the way it’s originally described. And seeing the campers reactions/having them bow down was important. I was underwhelmed tbh.

7. Percy is SMART! He was the one to put together that Sally was alive and agree to the quest in order to get her back. There was no reason for Grover to be the one to do it.

Otherwise it was wonderful. I still love it immensely and the care into the heart of the show I feel is still there. I can’t wait for next week!

And yes, I know Rick wrote the episodes and was a part of every single choice that was made so if he wants to leave something out obviously he knows his story the best this is just my opinion.

[saltwatergirl6]

Good morning, a request please from Percy x reader (siblings, not romance) How does Percy react if he discovers that he has a younger twin?His sister was stolen as a baby and grew up in Camp Half-Blood,What will Sally do when she sees her daughter again after so long?

saludos desde la cabaña 3 🐬🐙

faraway reflections

pairing: percy jackson x jackson!reader (platonic)

a/n: i absolutely love this request, i hope it’s something you actually enjoy. 🤍

wc: 1.6k

the lord of the sky has made many mistakes in his godly immortal life, especially one of them always stood out. the name of the mistake was

thalia grace.

after the second world war, the oath of not having demigod children has been made and has not been broken for decades, the children were terribly powerful and caused trouble to the universe multiple times, so not having them was the only solution to cause less destruction and war.

zeus was the first to break the oath, for which he received quite the backlash from his elder brothers, hades and poseidon. meaning that his demigod child (which he didn’t have much care for) was constantly in danger by the two major gods.

but turns out that poseidon was next, when he met a woman who changed him for the better, breaking the oath didn’t seem to be much of a problem for him.

but there wasn’t one demigod child.

there was two.

twins, a girl and a boy, which caused much more problems than one could have.

the king of olympus didn’t take this lightly, he decided to get his revenge by doing the worst, separating the twins, but poseidon insisted on keeping the younger twin alive, but the punishment was to sally jackson, the woman poseidon fell in love with.

sally never got to know her daughter, it was told that she didn’t make it, only her son did.

but she was very much alive and safe, in camp half-blood.

when percy turned 12, the monsters started appearing more often, which meant that it was time for him to finally visit the place that sally has tried to keep him from, camp half-blood.

——————————————————————————

there weren’t many greek demigod children who didn’t have a childhood or some sort of time outside camp half-blood, but you were a special coincidence.

you were basically born and raised in camp half-blood, without a clue on who any of your parents were.

when you got to the age where you could understand such a devastating story, chiron told you that your mother died in childbirth and your father was unknown to everyone.

the guilt you carried was not something an ordinary 12 year old girl should’ve experienced, but like the brave girl you were, you sucked it up, not wanting to show a single sign of weakness to the ares kids who have despised you for quite a while.

percy jackson always wondered what life would be like if his twin sister had survived, if he had someone who was experiencing the same thing as him, life would’ve been so much easier for him.

poseidon, lord of the sea, the earthshaker, the mighty major god has never experienced such guilt in his life. some might say gods are absent of any emotion, but being alive for such a long time has made it much easier to hide their emotions well.

but seeing his little girl silently cry in the hermes cabin every night has broken his heart.

but everything changed the night that sally, percy and grover were driving to long island.

“wait so, my dad is like, one of those guys you told me about? like a greek god?” percy asked curiously, still not believing it.

neither sally or grover answered anymore.

“uh, i don’t think i’m supposed to say this because a certain god might zap me to death, but i have something big to confess.” grover randomly blurted out.

“today can not get crazier, so go ahead.” percy answered, still freaked out about how much has happened that day.

“so percy had a twin sister, right?”

“uh, how do you know that?” percy asked.

“she’s alive, i think.” grover said, trying to form sentences so the bomb he just dropped on the mother and son wouldn’t sound as crazy.

sally stopped the car, grover and percy hit their heads to the backseat.

“excuse me?!” sally yelled out.

“her name is y/n, the only thing chiron actually told me about her is that her last name is jackson and she’s 12 years old, she has been at camp like since birth, i think. ms jackson, keep driving, please.” grover explained, casually.

shock was written on sally jackson’s face, she decided not to say anything, maybe this girl was a coincidence, her baby girl couldn’t be alive, she was gone, but a spark of hope was planted in sally’s heart, her dreams of not losing her daughter were somewhat possible again.

that was before she got turned into dust in the hands of the minotaur.

_______________________________________________

percy woke up into a random room with a lot of beds in it, the room had the aura of the sun, somehow, everything was decorated in warm tones, except for the comforting light blue sheets on every bed, a girl was standing in the doorway, staring at him.

she had the same black hair as him, her sea green eyes were focused on his, she looked like him.

she slowly walked up to him.

suddenly every memory flashed all at once, greek gods, long island, grover being half-a-donkey, the minotaur, his mother.

oh, and his sister being apparently alive.

“hey, i’m y/n.” you said softly, in a comforting voice, instantly calming him down.

“where am i?” percy asked, confused.

“camp half-blood’s infirmary, wait, did your satyr fill you in on this place?” you asked, slightly worried that you’d scare him away.

“the whole olympian god thing? kind of, yeah.” percy responded, it still felt like a fever dream, and the fact that he was talking to his twin sister for the first time in his entire life didn’t make it easier.

“i’m sorry about your mom, by the way.” you looked at him with genuine support in your eyes.

“our mom.” percy corrected.

“what do you mean?”

“i’m your brother, percy jackson.” percy said, extending his hand for you to shake, he felt bad to drop this all on you, but you had to find out from him, not from anyone else.

“that-, that’s not possible, i don’t have a brother, i don’t have a family, no one.” you were in denial, after 12 years, without a sign of family, this was gonna happen? it wasn’t possible.

“i’m sorry you had to find out this way, but you had to know somehow, grover told me about you being alone for all these years, it isn’t fair to you.” percy flashed a smile to you, but your sweet reunion was interrupted by chiron, camp half-blood’s activities director and your best friend, annabeth chase.

“good morning, percy, i see you’ve met your sister.” chiron said, in a casual voice, as if this whole thing wasn’t the craziest thing you’ve heard in your entire crazy life.

“mr brunner, what? you’re a horse.” right. percy was new here, he had no clue, you remembered that right now.

“a centaur, my boy, you can call me chiron.” he corrected, not feeling offended at all. “now, i think you two should sit down for this.”

______________________________________________

a few days have passed, you and percy have gotten claimed at the same time after bullying clarisse and her brothers just like she had tried to bully you two in capture the flag. it was slightly sad that percy had gotten claimed within the first week of being here, but you had to wait your whole life.

it all fell into pieces, poseidon was your father and now you were going on a quest, because apparently you and your brother stole the most powerful weapon in the universe.

maybe zeus should’ve hid it better? besides, you were never known to be sneaky.

______________________________________________

after the most exhausting summer of your 12 years of life, you were going home.

you never had a place to call home, aside from camp half-blood, you didn’t have your mother waiting for you to come back from summer camp, but now you do.

your mother, sally jackson, saved herself from the underworld, she was probably just as amazing as percy and your father, (who you finally spoke to, by the way) described her to be.

it was never in your nature to be mad at someone for long, so you quickly understood your father’s reasonings on why you were cast out of your family, even though the beginning of your life wasn’t great, percy promised to make it better in the future, with a welcoming family and no smelly gabe. (he was quite jealous that you never got to experience life with smelly gabe.)

“are you sure she’ll like me? what if she thinks i’m too weird to be her daughter, i mean… dad called her a queen.” you ask for the millionth time, feeling doubtful as you waited by thalia’s tree.

everyone knew thalia grace’s story, the brave hero who sacrificed herself for her friends, who still protected every demigod even if she was dead, even though some didn’t admit it, everyone aspired to be what thalia was, a true hero.

maybe our definition of heroes were a completely different thing, but thalia still was someone to remember.

_______________________________________________

there she was, your mother, the woman who gave birth to you, standing with the sweetest smile you’ve ever seen.

you couldn’t help but tear up and by the looks of it, she couldn’t either.

“my baby.” she said softly as she pulled you into a tight hug, like if she let go, you’d get lost again.

“hey mom.” you whispered.

“uh, guys, i’m here too.” you laughed, a genuine, happy laugh escaped your mouth.

you were ready for this. a new life, even with all those dangerous quests coming up, you knew you’d be way more powerful with your family, a loving mother and the most amazing (annoying) brother you could ask for.

[yawneon]

ameliorate

a/n : i’ve never publicly posted a fic/drabble here before so i’m nervous about this and i’m knew to fandom writing so bare with me.. (thanks if u read this, love u lots (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b )

pairing : luke castellan x apollo kid!reader

summary : you were there when thalia got turned into the pine tree. you were a healer, why couldn’t you have healed her?

!!! : angst, luke comforts reader, gn!reader, reader has a lot of emotional turmoil, a lot of self-loathe, reader blames themselves, i tried my best okay (｡•́︿•̀｡), you can read this to be platonic or romantic idfk, pre-percy

————— ୨୧ —————

a healer, that was your job.

ever since you took a step into the camp, you were given a role and that role is what you were going to do. heal and protect others, that is your purpose.

it was going to be easy. how hard could it be? heal some cuts here and there, maybe a sprained ankle when luke went too rough on another camper.

that’s what you thought it was gonna be. that’s what it was meant to be.

the events of that day still run circles in your mind. you should’ve done more, you could have. it was hard for everyone of course it was. grover failed at his job, luke and annabeth lost their sister. it was selfish thinking like this wasn’t it? to feel like you were the one taking it the hardest.

-

a sigh comes out shakily from your throat as you stand infront of thalia. your hand drags along the rough wooden exterior that once used to be her skin. trailing down you feel the gritty moss beneath your touch and you remember her soft hair, her laugh, her eyes. it was self torture thinking like this. you knew that.

but you were a healer.

why couldn’t you heal her back to normal? people at camp- no even chiron said that your powers are some of the best he’s ever seen so why the fuck can you not heal her back to normal? why in that moment you couldn’t have had some instinct to heal her? what was wrong with you? you had every chance to save thalia,

why did you not take it?

before you realise it tears stream down your face and your knelt infront of the solid lumber which was once your friend, your sister. on both knees you cry into your hands. thalia was gone and you failed your whole purpose.

you heal people.

-

you lost count of how long it was since you came to see thalia. had it been 20 minutes? maybe an hour? you didn’t know. you stood yourself up now, tears still silently rolling down your cheeks. you were stuck in your head for what felt like weeks, years almost. you came to do this often, to see thalia. to try and erase the guilt that built in your stomach and plagued your mind every living moment of every living day.

you were sick and you were tired, exhausted if you must. you wished she would wake up, gods you wished you would wake up and this would all be some batshit hallucination. but alas, the gods don’t respond to such calls.

you feel a breeze hit you, it wasn’t cold but you still shivered at the feeling. you close your eyes hoping for something to happen. you wait,

one second,

then two,

then th- are those arms around your waist right now?

-

“shit!” you jump, feeling two strong arms curl around your waist. turning around your met with the goofy smile of luke castellan. “sorry, sunshine.” he laughs softly, quickly you raise your hands to your face wiping your eyes and he tuts his tongue at you. “why are you hiding away from me?” luke pouts at you, one arm secured around your middle while his other hand reaches to your face cupping your cheek.

“what are you doing out here?” you say clearing your throat to stable your voice. “i’m here to make sure your not in your head.” he grabs the top of your head and shakes it about and you swat away his hands with a soft “quit it.”

“i was just about to head back in” you say, let me rephrase that. you- “your lying.” he says and quite literally takes the words out of my mouth.

“we all wish we could’ve saved her, sunshine.” luke coos, standing next to you now. his hand now securely on your shoulder pulling you close to comfort you. it was ironic calling you sunshine honestly. yeah your dad was apollo, greek god of sun and light, but your light was dimmer compared to your bright and bouncy siblings. a rough sigh escapes your throat and you hang your head low, “i could’ve done more. i should have luke you don’t get it.” you murmured.

luke looks at you worriedly, his hand rubbing your shoulder warmly. “we all wish that, sunny.” another contridictive nickname. “i know what is going on in that brain of yours you know.” luke’s the one that sighed now. “you know your abilities a lot more deeply now, you were a kid back then. we all were, you can’t keep blaming yourself for things that a kid who was barely a teenager could have never done.” luke emphasised, his eyes drawing from thalia to look at you.

“she isn’t even dead, sunshine.” luke smiles solemnly at you, his lips forming a tight line before the corners of it rise. “she’s right here.” his hand touches the bark of the tree. “right here with all of us.”

luke’s hands draw to both of your shoulders and he turns your body so both of you are face to face. “no matter how strong someone is, you can’t save everyone.” he nods sadly, “i know you wish you could, but you can’t.” he bites his inner cheek to stop his own tears from pooling out. “sun-“ before he could finish that sentence your arms were around him, embracing him softly. no words had to be spoken for luke to just hug you back. soft sobs escaping your throat as you cry into his warm body.

you two stood there for a while but that didn’t matter to him, he was your friend and he was your pillar in this time of need. no matter how wet his tshirt was right now, it didn’t matter. luke would rather stand there and hug you for a century, for a millenia, for fucking ever if that meant that you were gonna be okay. he’ll be there right by your side through everything. you’ll heal every one of his cuts and he’ll fight the ares kid that makes fun of you during capture the flag and then you’ll bake him blue cupcakes as a thank you.

-

you were a healer.

and despite not being able to save your sister, thalia. you vow to never let anyone else go through that. you were a healer and you will heal others and yourself for her.

f/n

————— ୨୧ —————

[malrie]

for: @jasipereo, @partiallypearl what: liper as emotional cheaters but in a totally normal, not bad way! wc: 1600

-

“So, Leo, how’s Calypso?”

Hazel knew she should’ve done something before Annabeth opened her mouth, but doing so would’ve required the miraculous ability to assuage a seething daughter of Athena. Because she did not possess that, Hazel only sighed into her salad.

Getting the Seven together for their annual reunion dinner was becoming hard enough each passing year as they grew into adulthood. The Fates were now intent on making it even harder.

Leo paused in his laughter with Piper, where they sat shoulder to shoulder, his hand resting on her bare thigh. He was still smiling when he turned to Annabeth, but it slipped away slowly as soon as he saw her face. 

The hand did not move.

“Huh?” Leo asked dumbly, and Hazel could have groaned aloud if it weren’t for the fact that everyone in the room had quieted to a hush. Even Percy, Grover, and Frank had silenced their rowdy food-shoveling, breaking their unspoken competition. Will, Hazel noticed, was nudging Nico for smiling too widely at the stirring drama. It was practically by divine mercy that Reyna hadn’t been able to make it this year.

“Calypso,” Annabeth went on. “You must know her. Your girlfriend of two years? How is she, Leo?”

He wasn’t getting it. “Uh, she’s fine? She had practice tonight so she couldn’t—”

“Yeah, she couldn’t make it.” The effect of Annabeth at the head of a table was a sight, especially with a dinner knife in her throwing hand. “But you did. And you seem really happy to have made it. I wonder why that is.”

“Annabeth,” said Piper. She furrowed her brows.

“Annabeth,” said Percy, though it was done around a mouthful of chicken parmesan, so it wasn’t much help.

“You know,” continued Annabeth, unrelenting, “you’d never think you were in a loving, committed relationship by the way you’re—”

Piper stood up. Leo’s hand slid off. “Excuse us. Annabeth and I were just heading to the bathroom.”

Frank looked concerned. “Together? Wait, was it the mac n’ cheese? Will, man, you said it was lactose-free!”

“Just eat your mac, dude,” muttered Percy. He was still chewing, but doing so solemnly. He wouldn’t intervene; his survival instincts were honed to a fine point by now.

The girls had made their advance. Grover bleated into an ineffectual burp, cueing Nico into an unashamed cackle. Leo was staring at his palm. Hazel shared a concerned frown with Will, but before she could start on about how she refused to be in charge of organizing dinners for the near future, Annabeth scooped her up by the arm, forcing her to follow them down the hall.

“Why me?” Hazel whined. Her pleading went unanswered. 

As soon as the three of them shuffled into the bathroom, Piper shut the door behind them. The movement caused a couple of Estelle’s bath toys on the rim of the empty tub to fall inside it. What Hazel would do to be that three year old right about now, deep asleep in another room, blissfully ignorant of her beloved brother’s friends’ convoluted relationship dynamics.

Resigned to being an unwilling witness, Hazel sat over the fluffy blue toilet cover and dodged Piper’s elbow when the other girl crossed her arms. It was a small space.

“You can’t possibly be doing this here,” Piper said, a slight flush having come up her neck and onto her cheeks. It only made her look rather sunkissed and pretty. “I know you always found Leo annoying or something, but by now I would’ve hoped you’d gotten past that—after all we’ve been through!”

“Oh, gods,” said Annabeth, throwing her hands up. Hazel also dodged being smacked by the gesture. “This is not about me finding Leo Valdez annoying. You know I find plenty of people annoying!”

“Then why are you being like this?”

For the first time tonight, Annabeth was caught off guard. She mirrored Piper, arms coming to shield her chest. “Piper, you really don’t get it? Don’t you see what you’ve been like with him all night?”

“What I’ve been like with Leo?” Piper repeated. “What do you mean? We’ve been normal.”

Hazel had to say it: “You guys have been crazy flirting.”

“What?”

Crazy as an adverb was stolen from one of the younger campers. It didn’t feel too right on Hazel’s tongue, but she figured it was the only way to properly describe how much Leo and Piper had been all over each other tonight. A touch on the forcep. Sweeping stray hairs out of the way. Whispering jokes a breadth away from each other. It was a lot. Hazel knew they were close, attached to the waist. But after Jason’s death, year after year, they became more inseparable than ever before.

On her part, Hazel thought it was sweet that Leo and Piper had each other. Except she wasn’t stupid. She knew why Annabeth was so perturbed: Leo was already knee-deep in a solid romance with an equally zealous goddess, and Piper was basically two steps away from a proposal by her superhero-perfect, cohabitating girlfriend. That was, by many cultures’ standards, a bad sign.

“Not just tonight, Piper,” Annabeth explained. “Things have been different. I know you two have—a bond. I’m just worried. Moments like this just spring up sometimes, and it gets everybody messed up. You have to watch yourself, and not just for your sake. What would you do if some random girl just cuddled up to Shel one day and never left her side?”

The image seemed to agitate Piper, who was notoriously a possessive kind of girl. “One stab for every second she spent near her.”

Annabeth looked charmed, almost endeared. Hazel needed new friends.

“See,” said Annabeth, “it just isn’t a good feeling, right? And you and Leo… Well, if you were going to, you know, go for it—as your best friend, I really have to recommend rethinking everything first. Everything. Seriously. You’re way better than—I mean, you both are better than something this impulsive.”

“Yeah,” said Piper, sounding fragile. “I would never… It isn’t like that with us. I mean, it’s different, that’s all. What we have is special. I can’t just let it go. Leo’s just been there through everything. But it’s never been… At least, I don’t think… I don’t know, Annabeth!”

“Oh, come here,” Annabeth said, opening her arms to Piper once she saw the other girl had begun to shed frustrated tears.

Annabeth was constantly overprotective of Piper, for answers Hazel figured neither of them really thought of addressing. Piper did seem to bring that out in people; Hazel herself once almost made the earth swallow up every mosquito in the vicinity after one bit the daughter of Aphrodite in front of her.

“Am I being that selfish?” asked Piper through a sniffle.

Somewhat mollified, Annabeth answered, “A little. Though maybe we all are, in a way. It’s not always bad to want more. We just have to know when enough’s enough. Moderation’s important, right?”

“That’s hard for me, I think,” Piper admitted.

Hazel, feeling dazed a bit at the whirlwind turn of conversation, said something if only to remind them of her presence. “So what are you going to do?”

Piper came away from Annabeth’s hug. “I’m not sure. I want to talk to him before—”

Someone banged on the bathroom door. Before the girls could react, the door gave way, having been unlocked the entire time. Nico poked his head inside. “You done being gay in here?”

“Nico!” Hazel cried. “You can’t say that!”

Her brother rolled his eyes. “I’m actually uniquely qualified to say it. Anyway, Frank and Percy are doing some stupid shit with the beer and Will doesn’t wanna go home yet. Please do not make me go back there alone.”

“What’s Leo doing?” Piper asked him.

In response, Nico shook his head. “He left. Said something about having to pick up Calypso.”

Piper half-laughed, incredulous. “Wow.”

“I’m sorry, Piper,” said Annabeth, an arm looping around Piper’s. Hazel knew Annabeth well enough to know that she wasn’t as remorseful as she sounded. Maybe it was a good thing to postpone another day—when Hazel wouldn’t have to be there to spectate.

They ended up in better spirits with Leo gone, which would have been a terrible thing to say to Leo to his face, and Hazel never would. Annabeth, gleaming, rounded on Percy to swig the rest of his drink. Grover had passed out from a food coma, and Frank and Will had dug out Annabeth’s chess set and had begun to play. Hazel wanted to talk to Leo, too, one way or the other, but she figured it was something he and Piper needed to work out themselves. They were adults now. They could do at least that.

The rest of the night, Piper tried hard to keep spirited, even though it was clear she was out of it and would be for some time. Tomorrow she was bound to catch her flight back to Tahlequah, where she could possibly push this behind her. But Hazel wasn’t the Oracle of Delphi. Things changed constantly, even when you expected them to stay exactly the same—especially then, she learned.

“I refuse to be the one to set this up again, you actual monsters,” Hazel told her dearest friends. “You all make me feel like my actual age! The second I see a premature grey hair on me, you’ll all get cursed gems in your Christmas stockings. Santa will die before getting to his milk and cookies!”

“Oh, shit,” said Will, face paling. “Sorry, Frank. There was dairy in it.”

[winnie-the-monster]

“Mrs.Jackson, it’s Grover.”

“Grover?”

“This is a little time sensitive, could someone maybe open the door.”

“What is he doing here? I don’t want to see him. Wait mom.”

“I ask to have the night. You said we could all leave in the morning.”

“Sorry, I’m early. But I didn’t have any choice. Things have changed, this is all developing a lot faster than we’ve anticipated.”

“Early? You should’ve asked me before you…..whatever it is you’re going to say I don’t want to hear it.”

“Grover?”

“Percy.”

“Okay, so something’s coming.”

“Grover?”

“And I know that sounds really bad.”

“Grover.”

“But the important thing is not to panic.”

“Grover.”

“I’m not panicking.”

“Grover!”

“Right. I’m also definitely not panicking. I feel very good about how we’re doing so far.”

“Grover!”

“What?”

“Grover, why is there half a goat in your pants?”

“Oh it’s….oh. Oh, boy she didn’t tell you about….you didn’t tell him about me?”

“You’re early.”

“So the important thing is not to panic.”

[poseidonsdaughterthesiren]

The Daughter of Poseidon: Chapter Four

A/N: Okay...this is really long lol. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Della, Piper, and Rachel arrive just as the songs end. Della pats Piper on the back and goes to sit next to Annabeth and Jason. 

“Are you okay?” whispers Annabeth. 

“For now,” Della whispers back. 

Jason’s eyes are locked on her. He opens his mouth to say something–

Chiron clears his throat. “Very nice! A special welcome to our new arrivals. I am Chiron, the camp activities director, and I’m happy you have all arrived here alive and with most of your limbs attached. In a moment we’ll get to s’mores but first–”

“What about capture the flag?” asks Danny, one of the Aries kids. 

At this point Della kind of zones out. She hears bits of the conversation. The dragon. Damn, Beckendorff for rebuilding that thing. It’s been a huge problem. Della focuses instead on the campfire. The flames dance. Little flickers flutter up creating small pictures. They start to form a face, a familiar face–it almost looks like–

“We will have to be patient,” says Chiron, “In the meantime, we have more pressing matters to discuss.” “Percy?” asks a younger Apollo camper. 

The fire dims a bit as anxiety floods around the campfire. 

Chiron gestures to Annabeth. 

Annabeth rises and steps forward a bit. “I didn’t find Percy.” Beth’s voice catches a bit at Percy’s name. The flames illuminate her brown eyes. “He was not at the Grand Canyon like I thought. But we’re not giving up. We’ve got teams everywhere. Grover, Tyson, Nico, the Hunters of Artemis–everyone’s out there looking. We will find him. Chiron’s talking about something different. A new quest.” 

“It’s the Great Prophecy isn’t it?” asks Drew. 

Surprise spills over the crowd. Drew never really speaks at these things. 

“Drew?” Annabeth says. “What do you mean?” 

“Well come on.” She spreads her arms out like it’s obvious. “Olympus is closed. Percy’s missing. Hera sends you a vision and you come back with three new demigods in one day. I mean, something weird is going on. The Great Prophecy has started right?” 

All eyes were on Rachel, who pats Piper on the arm. 

“Well you’re the oracle,” says Drew, “Has it started or not?” 

Rach had that look her determined oracle look. “Yes, the Great Prophecy has begun.” 

Chaos erupts like a volcano around the fire. 

Jason scoots closer to Della. “You okay?” He whispers.

“Never better. Thanks, Hercules.” Della smirks in the firelight. 

Jason tenses at the nickname. 

“For those who have not heard the prophecy,” Rachel says, “the Great Prophecy was my first prediction. It arrived in August it goes like this:

Eight half-bloods shall answer the call.

To storm or fire the World must fall–” 

Jason startles from his spot next to Della. He may as well have been electrocuted. 

Even Rachel is taken off guard, “J-Jason, what is–” 

What Jason spat out next was definitely not English, but if Della had to guess was Latin. Judging by Rachel’s face she’s translated what he said.. 

“You-you finished it,” Rachel stammered. –an oath to keep with a final breath/And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. How did you–” 

“I know those lines,” Jason winced, “I don’t know how, but I know that prophecy.” He winces again and puts a hand on his forehead. 

Della stands up and places a hand on his shoulder. 

Drew glares at her and is not alone in the sentiment. Piper is also not happy with Della’s gesture.

Jason sits down embarrassment evident on his face. 

Della follows suit.

“It’s okay,” she whispers, “should’ve seen me the first day I was here.” Her lips turn up in a soft smile. 

Jason doesn’t look convinced but nods. 

Rachel is shaken. She glances back at Chiron for guidance. 

Chiron looks like a gloomy gargoyle. Silent and distant. Almost as if he’d seen this film before and didn’t like the ending. 

Well,” Rachel says, trying to regain composure. “So, yeah that’s the great prophecy. We hoped it might not happen for years, but I fear it’s starting now. I can’t give you proof. It’s just a feeling. And like Drew said, some weird stuff is happening. The eight demigods, whoever they are, have not gathered yet. I get the feeling some are here. Some are not.” 

Murmurs of anxiety lace themselves around the fire almost like a noose. Until Clovis slightly eased the tension thinking they were taking roll call.

“Anyway,” Rachel continues, “we don’t know what the Great Prophecy means. We don’t know what challenge the demigods will face, but since the first Great Prophecy predicted the Titan War, we can guess the second Great Prophecy will predict something at least that bad.” 

“Or worse,” mutters Chiron. 

“What we do know,” Rachel says, “is that the first phase has begun. A major problem has arisen, and we need a quest to solve it. Hera, the queen of the gods has been taken.” 

Stunned silence envelops the campfire. Then like a hundred campers all talk at once. Chiron stomps his hoof for order, and Rachel waits to get their attention again.

Rachel then spent the next few minutes catching everyone up on the events prior. From the Grand Canyon–Gleson Hedge’s sacrifice–to Piper and Della’s vision–to Jason’s vision.

“Jason,” Rachel says, “Um…do you remember your last name?”

Jason shakes his head no. 

“We’ll just call you Jason then,” Rachel says, “Hera has issued you this quest.” 

All eyes are on Jason. Jason looks calm and brave. Much braver than Della did when tasked with her first quest. But this was not his first quest. 

“I agree.” 

“You must save Hera to prevent a great evil,” Rachel continues, “Some sort of king from rising. For reasons we don’t understand yet, it must happen by winter solstice, four days from now.” 

“The council day of the gods,” says Annabeth, “If they don’t already know she’s missing, they will notice her absence by then.” 

“That’ll end well,” says Della, “They’ll probably break out fighting. Accusing each other of taking her. Their usual M.O.” 

“The Winter Solstice,” Chiron speaks up, “is also a time of great darkness. The gods gather on that day, as mortals always have because there is strength in numbers. The solstice is a day when evil magic is strong. Ancient magic, older than the gods. It is a day when things…stir.” 

The tone he uses makes Della shiver. It sounds sinister–like it was a first-degree felony, not something you did to cookie dough.

“Okay,” Annabeth says, glaring at the centaur, “Thank you, Captain Sunshine. Whatever’s going on, I agree with Rachel. Jason has been chosen to lead this quest so–” 

“Why hasn’t he been claimed?” someone yells from the Aries group. “If he’s so important–” 

“He has been claimed,” Chiron announced, “Long ago. Jason, give them a demonstration. 

Jason doesn’t seem to understand right away. He glances at Della one more time before he steps forward. Della has to admit he is pretty handsome in the firelight. She suddenly realizes she’s been staring for too long. Off to the side, Annabeth smirks at her.  Della mouths back at her Shut up! 

Jason reaches into his pocket pulls out a golden coin and flips it. The coin flashes in the air and once he catches it he’s holding a lance-a rod of gold about seven feet long with a spear tip. 

The rest of the camp gasps at the sight of the weapon. Annabeth and Rachel step back a few steps to avoid the tip which looks as sharp as an ice pick.

“Wasn’t that…” Annabeth hesitates, “ I thought you had a sword.” 

“Um, it came up tails…I think,” Jason says, “Same coin, long-range weapon form.” 

Della snorts at his quip. 

“Dude I want one!” calls an Aries boy. 

“Better than Clarisse’s electric spear, Lamer!” one of his brothers agreed. 

“Electric,” Jason mutters like it was a good idea. “Back away.” 

Annabeth and Rachel get the message. Jason raises the javelin and thunder breaks open in the sky. Every hair on Della’s arms stands straight up. Lightening arches through the golden spear point and hits the campfire like a ballistic artillery shell explosion. 

The smoke clears with a stunned Camp Half-Blood—half-blind and half-covered in dust. Cinders rain down from where the fire was a few seconds ago. A burning log impales itself a few inches from Clovis who sleeps with a loud snore. 

A sheepish Jason lowers the lance, “Um…sorry.” 

Chiron brushes some burning coals out of his beard. He grimaces as though all his worst fears were confirmed. “A little overkill, perhaps, but you’ve made your point. And I believe we all know who your father is.” 

“Jupiter,” Jason says, “I mean Zeus. Lord of the Sky.” 

Pandemonium encapsulates the campfire for the millionth time this evening. People keep asking question after question after question. Annabeth raises her arms out,

“Hold it!” she says, “How can he be a son of Zeus? The Big Three…their pact not to have mortal kids….how could we have not known about him sooner?” 

Chiron says nothing. He knows the answer Della can tell but he can’t tell them. 

“The important thing,” says Rachel, “is that Jason is here now. He has a quest to fulfill, which means he will need his own prophecy.” 

She closes her eyes and swoons backward. A couple of campers catch her before she can hit the ground. Another fetches the stool and they ease Rachel onto it. It is rather dark without the fire, but Della sees the familiar green smoke swirl from Rachel’s feet. 

She opens her glowing eyes. Emerald smoke issues from her mouth. The voice that emerges is raspy and ancient. Della feels goosebumps along her arms. 

“Child of Lightning, beware the earth, 

The giants revenge the eight shall birth,

Daughter of the Sea serves as sight,

The forge and dove shall break the cage, 

And death unleash through Hera’s rage.”

Rachel collapses on the last word. But she is caught once again. They lay her to rest in a corner.

“Is that normal?” asks Piper. Everyone's eyes land on her. “I mean does she spew green smoke a lot?” 

“Gods you’re dense,” Drew sneers, “She just issued a prophecy–Jason’s prophecy to save Hera! Why don’t you–”

“Drew!” Annabeth and Della snap at the same time. Della nods at Annabeth to continue. “Piper asked a fair question. It’s her first day let alone something about that prophecy definitely isn’t normal. If breaking Hera’s cage unleashes her rage and causes a bunch of death…why would we free her? It might be a trap, or-or Hera will turn on her rescuers. She’s never been kind to heroes.” 

Jason rises. “I don’t have much of a choice. Hera took my memories. I need it back. Besides, we can’t just not help the queen of the heavens if she’s in trouble.” 

Sure we can, Della thinks to herself. 

Nyssa from Cabin Nine stands up. “Maybe. But you should listen to Annabeth. Hera can be vengeful. She threw her son–our dad–down a mountain because he was ugly.” 

“Really ugly,” snickers someone in Aphrodite’s cabin. 

“Shut up!” yells Nyssa. “Anyways we’ve also got to think–why beware the Earth? And what’s the giant’s revenge? What are we dealing with here that’s powerful enough to kidnap the queen of heaven?” 

Annabeth sighs, “It’s Jason’s quest, so it’s his choice. Obviously, he’s the Child of Lightning…and the Daughter of the Sea is of course–” 

“Me,” Della says. She rises and makes her way towards Jason. “Guess we’re teammates Hercules.” 

“That just leaves the other two. Usually, a prophecy only calls for three but this time it calls for four heroes.”

Like their first quest. The quest that kicked off the Second Titan War. Does that mean–

Travis Stolls yells, “Well, you obviously Annabeth. You have the most experience aside from Della.” 

“No, Travis,” Annabeth says, “First off, I’m not helping Hera. Every time I’ve tried, she’s deceived me, or it’s come back to bite me later. Forget it. No way. Secondly, I’m leaving again in the morning to look for Percy.” 

Della sags at her words. Her first quest without Percy or Annabeth. She hopes Annabeth finds her brother while she’s gone. A part of her tells her that probably won’t happen. 

“It’s connected,” Piper blurts out. “You know that’s true, don’t you? This whole business, your boyfriend’s disappearance–it’s all connected.” 

“How?” Demands Drew, “If you’re so smart then how?” 

Piper’s mouth hangs open like she’s trying to come up with an answer but she can’t. 

Annabeth saves her, “You may be right Piper. If this is connected, I’ll find out from the other end–by searching for Percy. As I said I’m not about to rush off to rescue Hera, even if her disappearance sets off the Olympians fighting again. But there’s another reason I can’t go. The prophecy says otherwise.” 

“It says who I pick,” says Jason, “We already have the Daughter of the Sea. The forge is the symbol of Vul–” he glances at Della, “Hephaestus.” 

Under the Cabin Nine Banner, Nyssa’s shoulders slump like she’s been given an anvil to carry. “If you have to beware the earth,” she says, “you should probably avoid traveling overland. You’ll need air transport.” 

“Too bad the chariots at the bottom of the lake,” another kid from the Hephaestus cabin says. 

“Anyways,” Nyssa says, “the pegasi, we’re using them to search for Percy. But maybe the Hephaestus cabin can help figure something else out to help. With Jake incapacitated, I’m senior camper. I can volunteer for the quest.” 

She sounds horribly unexcited. 

Leo stands up. Has he been here the whole time? He’s been super quiet which doesn’t seem to fit. 

Several of his cabinmates try to pull him back down, but Leo resists them.

“No, it’s me. I know it is. I’ve got an idea for this transportation problem. Let me try. I can fix this!” 

Jason studies him for a moment. Della can already tell he isn’t going to say no. 

“We started together Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you’re in.” 

“Yes!” Leo pumps his fist. 

Della holds back a giggle. Thankfully, Nyssa warns him of the dangers of quests. Leo seems to deflate a bit but brushes it off. 

“Well, then it seems you only need to choose the fourth quest member. The dove–”

“Oh absolutely!” Drew scrambles to her feet so fast. She flashes Jason a smile. “The dove is Aphrodite. Everybody knows that. I am totally yours!” 

“Ugh, I think I might throw up,” Della pretends to gag. 

Piper laughs until she realizes Drew is serious. Her hands clench into fists. “No.” 

Drew rolls her eyes. “Oh please, what are you going to do dumpster girl?”

“I had the vision. Not you.” 

“Anyone can have a vision. You were just in the right place at the right time.” She turns to Jason, “Look fighting is all fine, and people who have to build things….” I suppose someone has to get their hands dirty. And I suppose Jackson’s guidance is needed. But you need charm on your side. I can be persuasive. I could help a lot.” 

Everyone murmurs how right Drew is and Della is trying so hard not to agree. 

“Well…” Annabeth says “Given the wording of the prophecy”

“No!” Piper’s voice is different, somewhat richer like a fine wine. “I’m supposed to go.” 

Then there were mutters about how Piper has a compelling point. Drew looks ready to throw a dagger. 

“Get over it!” Drew snarls, “Besides what can Piper do?” 

Piper looks at a loss for words. 

“I’m sure she has more modest reasons to go other than just pure vanity Drew,” Della says cooly. 

Jason places his hand over his mouth to cover a laugh. There are more mutters in the crowd but no one really seems convinced. 

“Well,” Drew says smugly, “I guess that settles it.” 

Suddenly, there’s a collective gasp around the fire. Everyone stares at Piper like she’s just exploded. 

“What?” Piper asks looking at Della who points at the glowing symbol above Piper’s head. 

When Piper glances down she’s in a beautiful sleeveless white gown with a v-neck so low Della would’ve been murdered by Percy. Delicate gold arm bands circle her biceps. An intricate assortment of amber, coral, and gold flowers glitter her chest and hair. 

“Oh my god, what’s happened,” Piper says. 

Annabeth points at the dagger oiled and gleaming at Piper’s side by a golden chord. 

“Holy Shit,” breathes out Della, “I knew it. Piper, you’re gorgeous.” 

Drew on the other hand looks ready to die, “No! Not possible!” 

“This isn’t me–I don’t understand.” 

Chiron folds his front legs and bows to her, and the rest of camp follows his example. 

“Hail Piper McLean,” Chiron announces gravelly like he was reading her eulogy, “Daughter of Aphrodite, lady of doves, goddess of love.” 

Piper stands there horror-painted her features. 

“Hmmm looks like we won’t be needing you after all Drew,” Della says. 

[liketolaugh-writes]

I threw another scene into 'Star Light, Star Bright,' chapter 22. It was too short to put into Altador, but I wanted to share it here too, since I'm pleased with it.

Percy and Grover discuss the deeper implications of forming an empathy link with someone in the aftermath of a suicide attempt. Trigger warning for suicidal thoughts and feelings.

Percy pulled Grover aside that weekend to speak in private.

“Hey, you remember when we talked about restoring the empathy link, right?” Percy asked him, searching for an opening. Grover lit up.

“Course I do. You’re ready for it? Really?” The hope in his voice made Percy wince with guilt, considering what they were about to talk about. He made a so-so motion with his hand, and Grover frowned in concern.

“I’m doing better right now,” Percy said. “I think we could fix it and it wouldn’t bother you too much. But, um, there’s something you need to know first, because it might change your mind.”

Grover looked skeptical. “Really.”

Percy managed a laugh, though it was soft and distracted. They turned into the forest and walked quietly for a minute while Percy tried to figure out what to say. Even without the empathy link, Grover knew him well enough to give him time to think.

“Last time,” he said at last, “when you found out I was suicidal. Why did you keep the empathy link then? It could’ve been, like, really dangerous to you.”

Grover snorted. “I was kind of surprised you didn’t bring this up then,” he admitted. Percy’s stomach twisted, and Grover bumped him. “If I was worried about it, I would have brought it up, dude. But I wasn’t. You coming here was really more about your emotional health than your physical health. You deserve to be happy.”

Percy bit his lip. “And… if it was about keeping me from doing anything?”

Now Grover looked worried. “Perce. Did something happen?”

Time to bite the bullet. Again. “I tried to kill myself on this last quest,” he confessed. Grover stopped. Percy stopped, too, but kept his eyes on the path. “A few weeks after we got out of Tartarus. I didn’t even realize what I was doing, not really. I saw a chance to die and I took it.”

“Shit,” Grover murmured. Percy winced. “I wish I had been there.” Startled, Percy looked up and met his eyes. Grover’s were stormy, frustrated - not angry, not even really hurt. “You must’ve been so messed up by then. I could’ve helped you. I would’ve known something was wrong.”

“It’s not really anyone’s fault,” Percy reassured him, as much as he could. He stepped off the path, leaned on a tree, and slid down to the ground, and Grover sat across from him, borderline bad-tempered. “Everything was so chaotic out there. My mental health wasn’t exactly a top concern.”

“Obviously it should’ve been,” Grover snapped. Percy grimaced. “This- that settles it. I’m putting the link back.”

That- was exactly the reaction Percy had expected, though he was still wary of it. “Wait. Grover. That just- it’s even more dangerous now, okay? Because I can’t promise I wouldn’t…” He couldn’t bring himself to finish the warning.

Grover paused, studying him with clear worry. “You think you’d do that? Even knowing…?”

“I don’t know what I’d do,” Percy said quietly, looking away to stare at a tree. “I was… so messed up, Grover. I mean- we were in the middle of a quest. The others needed me, Annabeth needed me, the world was at stake and stuff. But I wasn’t thinking about that. I- I was thinking about how I deserved to die. And…” His voice dropped, trying to explain the headspace he’d been in, the headspace that might- might make it not matter that he’d take Grover down with him. “It seemed like such a relief.”

“A relief from what, Percy?” There was fear there, and hurt. Percy didn’t hold it against him. With Percy being who he was, having the empathy link in place must’ve seemed like a failsafe to Grover.

“From being me.” Percy swallowed the ache in his throat and pulled out Riptide to fidget. “The guilt, the self-loathing, the pressure. Don’t you ever just want it to be over?” Stupid question. Percy sighed. “Never mind. I just… need you to understand that it might not ever be really safe to have an empathy link with me.”

“I’m going to hug you,” Grover decided. He scooted over and wrapped his arms around Percy, and Percy hugged him back and leaned in with a sigh. The pressure in his chest backed off, leaving a faint feeling of peace underneath the worry. A few minutes passed before Grover let go to look Percy in the eye. “Percy, it was never safe to have an empathy link with you. You’re a monster beacon of a demigod, and we were in a war that you were at the center of. And it definitely wasn’t safe for you when I first formed it, trapped in a Cyclops cave. But we kept it because we wanted to be there for each other. Remember?”

Percy did remember. “Isn’t this… different?”

“Not at all,” Grover said firmly. “With the empathy link, I’ll know when you need me. With feelings like that, like you just said - I’ll know, okay? I’ll call you. There’s no way it comes on all at once, either. You must’ve been building up to it for days.”

“I was,” Percy admitted. “It was obvious, once Raine and I talked about it.”

Grover nodded. “And once it reaches a certain point, I’ll feel it too. I’ll make sure you’re not alone.” He grinned at the wave of relief and affection that Percy must’ve given off. “So? Finally ready to hook up again?”

Percy laughed raggedly. “Yeah, G-man. Sounds great.”

[gretchen-nightbloom]

Watched Percy Jackson on Disney Plus. I'm new to the series so I don't know anything about it. Here are some thoughts I had about it.

Do not give me spoilers.

Sally said that just because someone looks like a hero doesn’t mean they are and just because someone looks like a monster doesn’t mean they are while looking at a statue of Medusa.I found out that Medusa was cursed (turned into the snake monster) by Athena for “allowing” herself to be raped.

Also, if you know anything about Greek Mythology the gods do some horrible things. Hades kidnaps Persephone and tricks her into eating fruit so she’ll be forced to stay with her and everyone I know says he’s the nicest or one of the nicest gods.

Percy getting expelled for ‘retaliating’ is so true to real life. Teachers and principles only see you stand up to bullies they never see the bullies bullying you.

I don’t like Sally. She should’ve told her son the truth years ago. I also don’t like the guy Sally is dating. I don’t know why she stays with him. I also can't remember his name.

The show says monsters are hidden from the human world by the mist, but Sally is able to see the Minotaur. And she knew about Mrs. Dobbs. I’m suspicious about that.

Percy’s only friend is a goat that’s twice his age. Is there a reason Grover who is 24 looks like a 12 year old? Do satrys age slower than human and demigod children?

Did Dionysius get kicked from Mt. Olympus or something? Why is he working as a camp counselor he clearly seems to hate it there and he has no interest in the children.

So there’s 12 cabins. 1 cabin for each of the god or goddesses children. Hermes’s cabin is for both his kids and unclaimed children. I have several thoughts on this. 1 I’m curious as to how people know for fact that someone is a demigod if their parent doesn’t claim them. Couldn’t they be half something else? 2 Percy is sleeping in the floor of the cabin. They can’t even bring a bunk bed in for him to sleep on. 3 As we see later on Poseidon’s cabin is completely empty because Poseidon is not allowed to have demigod children anymore so why didn’t they move the unclaimed children to his cabin?

So the gods don't have to claim their children ok. Please imagine one of the goddesses giving birth then claiming the child isn't hers.

Artemis: Not my kid.

Zeus: I just saw you give birth to him.

Artemis: Oh really? Do you want to talk about all of your illegitimate kids then?

Zeus: .....

Artemis: That's what I thought.

Of course the kid from Hermès the messenger god is the one to tell Percy how camp works and everything.

The 3 top gods made pact to not have anymore mortal children. And of course Zeus breaks this when he creates Thalia. Of course it would be Zeus to break this pact. Also I’m betting the reason Poseidon couldn’t claim Percy or be a father to him was because he was breaking the pact as well and he didn’t want Percy to get killed, but since the lightning bolt is gone he needs Percy to prove his innocence.

Clarisse says that if she maims Percy she’ll lose dessert privileges this camp is way too tame with bullies. And since Clarisse is so certain she won’t be punished any further that implies a camper maimed or killed another camper.

So Hades took Sally huh? Well Hades has been known to kidnap women (cough Persephone cough) Did he do this out of the goodness of his heart? To spite his brothers? To gain another lover? Who knows.

After the fountain incident and the bathroom incident everyone including Percy is shocked to discover that his dad is Poseidon.

[theamazingannie]

Finished the first two episodes of PJO. Got thoughts (if anyone cares). Putting under a read more cuz it’s a bit lengthy

Before I go into the cons (cuz I got some unfortunately), the pros:

Aryan is so cute I adore him

I love the main trio in general. I think some of the acting isn’t always great but their chemistry and adorableness make up for it

I especially love the percabeth relationship. Walker and Leah did a great job showing that doofus Percy and irritated Annabeth relationship. Especially their early on “Annabeth looking down on Percy while he understandably flounders around.” I cannot wait to see more of them!!!

Saw someone on Twitter talk about the armor adjustment scene and how it could be a parallel to them later on as their relationship progresses and I hope so badly that they do that

Love Clarisse. Does a great balance between being unlikeable and being unenjoyable

LOVE Mr. D. Had absolutely no doubt that Jason Mantzoukas would crush this role and am glad to see it. Perfect level of unhinged and unnervingness. Literally the perfect person to play the role

It has a decent script. Not perfect, but I like how witty Percy is and there’s a lot of good written chemistry between characters and I found myself chuckling a lot, which is great as an adult with a show targeted towards younger audiences

The scenery is GREAT. I always have a hard time visualizing camp in my mind while reading and I think the show perfectly balances a normal summer camp with fantasy. Would’ve liked to see more of it, like a proper tour, but I know there’s not a lot of time. Hopefully we get to see more of it in later episodes

Great fight choreography. Wish there was a little more of it. Again, maybe they were cut for time but the fight scenes just seemed very rushed. But what we did see was so good. Especially loved Percy’s little duck and roll thing he did

Which brings us to the negatives. I wish I didn’t have any, but unfortunately I have a lot. I base these both as a fan of the books and as a show as a whole:

First things first, the pacing. It’s awful. It felt like a bunch of random scenes clipped together. There’s almost zero flow between scenes. It reminds me of watching the deleted scenes in the DVD bonus features and the weirdly long pauses between some scenes added to that. Nothing felt connected

To add to pacing, everything felt really rushed. As I said before, I get that timing is an issue, but I felt sped through everything. Considering it’s a tv show and we were promised more than was in the book, I didn’t expect so much to be left out. Nothing too important, but as I said before, it could’ve used better transitioning between scenes. I was left kind of disappointed and I can’t imagine not reading the books and being expected to follow this

On that note, explanations were iffy. It felt like they wanted to rush through explaining stuff to get to other parts which is fine for us readers but I think new audiences might struggle to follow. There’s a lot of information that the audience needs to know and I don’t think they properly addressed everything

One thing that comes to mind as I’m typing this is the wheelchair. They never show what it’s for. They introduce Chiron at camp as a centaur and have him be one for the entire time and so to an unknowing audience there’s just a random empty wheelchair during a scene. If they weren’t going to use it, they should’ve cut that out

The scene with the Cloven Elders felt unnecessary. I get they want to explore other POVs outside Percy’s but nothing that happened in that scene felt necessary to the plot. Barely anything happens and most of what happens is explained verbally through Grover later. I wonder if the scene was cut for time but it probably should’ve been cut altogether. It didn’t add anything except a tiny bit of worldbuilding and having them go INSIDE the tree was weird and not even from the books. There’s like a whole forest inside the forest which gives me Dodona vibes which it shouldn’t

As I said before, the acting isn’t great at times. That’s fine considering I was a House of Anubis stan once (hence the icon). Acting is honestly not the most important part of a show as long as they have interesting characters with good chemistry (which they do!) but still pulled me out of it a bit. Some of the delivery was kind of dry

There were multiple times when I thought the direction could’ve been better. It wasn’t necessarily the acting (although that was part of it). For example, which Annabeth says “you drool in your sleep”. She says it very monotonously and matter of fact and just stared at him unmoving which is fine cuz I think that’s how it worked in the book but I think it might’ve worked better if she said it more petulantly and hurried away. This is very nitpicky tho and is mostly just opinion

Speaking of Annabeth, though: I wanted to see her more! I get we will see her plenty throughout the season but I love her and would’ve liked her to be introduced sooner. She meets Percy earlier in the books so she could’ve been introduced sooner. I also want to see her and Chiron interact (which we will hopefully get ep 3) so we can see that father daughter relationship. (I did like the way she was introduced though. They did that really well. I just want to see her more🥰)

A note for the next ep promo: WHY did it spoil that they were gonna be meeting Medusa??! That was supposed to be a surprise and they just gave it away in the PROMO????

One last thing cuz I’m mad. I already made a separate post about it but THALL-EE-UH???? That’s literally how I pronounced it when I first read it and was repeatedly told it was wrong and it was TALL-ee-uh so I switched my brain over and NOW you tell me I was right??? I knew some pronounciations were gonna be wrong but I was PRETTY SURE about that one

I definitely had more thoughts while watching (some that are extremely nitpicky that I’m going to force myself to ignore) but I didn’t take notes while watching and am already starting to forget details. Overall, I did love it, but I think a lot of the love came from my existing love of the series. I first read PJO 13 years ago and it was the first book series I truly fell in love with and remains my favorite to this day. A lot of feelings are my love biasing me both positively and negatively, and it makes me wonder if I would have chosen to continue watching the show if I hadn’t already had that love. Honestly, I don’t think I would. However, I do plan on continuing to watch and support and hopefully the rest of the season goes well!

[slipping-through-my-fingertips]

In My Head, I'm Yours

Chapter 9: Making All Our Plans in the Santa Cruz Sand

Trigger Warnings for a mention of relationship with a minor, non-consensual touching.

A/n: Next upload is the epilogue. Thanks for following along with this! I also have a one-shot set in this universe coming soon

AO3

He didn’t see her walk in. Why would he be hoping to spot her gray eyes in this crowd like Annabeth was hoping to meet his green ones.

Annabeth wasn’t even sure he would even want to see her.

Before she left, she confessed everything to her roommates.

Their movie night had just ended. Thalia was yawning and Leo was complaining that it was too early for her to go to bed. It was the weekend after all.

“I’m going to Santa Cruz,” she blurted.

“Excuse me?”

“What!” Leo exclaimed.

“I booked a flight before dinner.”

Thalia blinked at her. “I’m wide awake now. What the fuck, Chase?”

Annabeth swallowed. “I need to see Percy.”

“Why?” Leo asked.

“We’ve been sorta hooking up for the last few months.”

“What!” Thalia screamed. “And you didn’t think to tell me!”

“Us,” Leo corrected.

Thalia ignored him. “Me! Your best friend.”

“I—”

She cut Annabeth off, “I can’t believe this. I mean we talked about it but ultimately dismissed it because you were never affectionate around us. But maybe I should’ve seen it still.”

“You talked about it?” Annabeth questioned. “With who?”

“Piper, Jason, Grover,” Leo listed. “We all thought you’d hit it off eventually and apparently we were right.”

“Yet completely blinded to it having happened!” Thalia shouted.

“So tell us what’s going on,” she said, “why are you going to Santa Cruz?”

“I really hurt him the last time I saw him. I messed it all up.”

Annabeth told them everything. The hookups, their non-dates, the song, her graduation day, the fight, him leaving.

“I’ll help you pack,” Thalia said.

Just like that, she was forgiven for keeping this from her best friend.

“Hey wait a second,” Leo said, “we’re just gonna let this go?”

Thalia glared at him. “Yes, because I expect to be the maid of honor at the wedding.”

Annabeth blushed.

“And what do I get out of it?” He asked, “I want details! How’s the sex? It’s good right? I feel like…”

“Ew, why do you want to know what Percy's like in bed?”

Annabeth’s cheeks got redder. “No comment.”

“Oooo, so it’s juicy then. C'mon tell me!” Leo demanded.

She shook her head. Thalia pulled her to her bedroom, grabbing her suitcase and throwing it on the bed.

Leo, of course, followed.

“Seriously, Annabeth, just tell me…how big?”

He started moving his hands apart. Waiting for her to indicate when to stop. She never did. But her face must’ve revealed something because Leo knew exactly when to stop.

“Knew it! You want to talk to someone about this. How could you keep all these dirty secrets from me?”

Thalia was haphazardly opening Annabeth's drawers.

“Where do you keep the good stuff?” She asked.

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Sexy stuff,” Leo said, “probably in her closet, hiding in the corner somewhere.”

Both girls look up at him.

“What? Annabeth likes to keep that stuff to herself. Obviously it’s not going to be out in the open.”

Thalia went into the closet and found exactly what she was looking for. Meanwhile, Leo sat down on the bed with Annabeth.

“So spill it.”

Annabeth knew he wasn’t going to let it go. She glanced over at Thalia who was now throwing clothes into her luggage.

“It’s great sex,” she told him.

“Well duh!” Leo said.

“He makes me feel so safe, so…loved. He’s sweet and responsive and…”

“Fucks like a god?” Leo offered.

She punched him.

“You’re not saying I’m wrong.”

They even drove her to the airport. Wished her luck at drop off and made her swear to call them when it was all cleared up.

Their faith in her was overwhelming.

Luckily Delphi’s gig wasn’t sold out because Annabeth hadn’t thought to buy a ticket beforehand. She booked a flight and a hotel room but every Delphi show she’d been to was at a bar, no ticket required. She only felt a little stupid for not thinking this far ahead. It was an official tour after all, of course she needed a ticket.

She paid cash and went in. They were already on stage introducing a new song. One Percy and Piper wrote together recently.

Which meant there was a good chance it was about her.

The songs I wrote as your other are The best I’ll ever sing

She stood by the bar well after the show ended. The crowd was thinning and people were being ushered out. Annabeth wondered if she should take her chances at sneaking backstage or waiting by the stage door for them like the rest of their fans.

Not thrilled by the idea of being mistaken for a potential groupie, Annabeth chose the other option.

There wasn’t too much security. She went around the left side of the stage hopping over some metal chain. That’s all that was preventing people from going back there.

The stage crew was bustling around. Wearing all black, she tried to blend in with them. Her tight, sparkly black dress wasn’t really the outfit for moving instruments and laying out wires but no one spared her a second glance.

There were some familiar voices up ahead.

“Stage door time!” Jason shouted, “get dressed and let’s go.”

“You two go, give me a second,” Percy said.

Annabeth shivered. Just hearing his voice was enough to send her body into shock.

She was a goner.

Annabeth hid behind an open door when Piper and Jason walked out of the room. They were heading outside. Leaving Percy alone.

When she peeked inside the room, Percy had yet to change out of his stage clothes. The door was wide open so she knocked on it. This was it.

He turned. “Annabeth?”

“Hey, Percy.”

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

His eyebrows furrowed.

Percy didn’t seem upset, just confused. Might as well just jump straight into it.

“I was wrong,” she said.

“About what?”

“You,” Annabeth’s voice squeaked. “I was wrong about you.”

“What you thought I’d break your heart and instead you ripped mine out of my chest?”

So maybe he was upset with her.

“I…”

He stood up.

“So you’re wrong, about what exactly?”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have eavesdropped on you or I should’ve admitted that I overheard you talking about the tour, I had no right to get mad at you for something out of your control. You were going to tell me and I shouldn’t have…well I should’ve done a lot differently,” she said, “I should’ve told you how I felt, I shouldn’t have hid it for so long, I shouldn’t have let myself become self-destructive like I always do…”

Percy was standing directly in front of her now. He put his hands on her shoulders; she couldn’t look at him. Funny how earlier she would’ve given anything to have him look at her and now she couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Annabeth,” Percy said. “Look at me.”

She did.

“I accept your apology.”

The relief she felt almost made her collapse. But Percy was holding her up.

“Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around him.

She breathed him in. She promised herself to make this right.

“Come with me, we should have a real conversation about us,” he told her.

Annabeth fought the urge to grab his hand as they walked towards the beach. They snuck out a different exit and avoided the fans outside. She wondered if Delphi was big enough for the fans to speculate why Percy skipped the stage door.

Unsurprisingly the beach was abandoned. The tide was coming in but there was still plenty of dry sand to sit in.

It was chilly, Annabeth rubbed her arms.

“Here,” Percy handed over his flannel.

She smiled, “thanks.”

“You wanted to talk,” she said, “about this…us.”

Percy took a deep breath. “Let’s make some plans.”

…

“Permanent ones?” She asked.

“Yeah, you said you would do things differently, so how should we do this differently?”

“Well, for starters” Annabeth said, “I’d take you on an actual date.”

“Oh yeah?” Percy said, “and what if I want to take you out instead?”

She was blushing. Even in the dim light, he could see her reddening cheeks.

“A is date first on the agenda, we can argue in front of the waiter about who pays.”

“Deal, what’s next?”

She grabbed his hand, “communication. That was our downfall, I didn’t tell you how I felt, I avoided conversations that scared me, and I kept things to myself because I was asking for this to fail because I was terrified of you.”

“As much as I want to know about these feelings of yours, trust me we’ll get to that,” Percy told her, “why did I terrify you so much? Am I that scary?”

Annabeth sighed, “might as well get the heavy stuff out in the open huh? Didn’t help to keep it in last time. I had some bad exes before you.”

“Haven’t we all?”

“I guess so,” she said, staring at the waves, “Travis was just a troublemaker, my bad boy phase as Thals would say but really he was just slightly klepto so he got me into some bad spots when I was in high school then I met Luke. First red flag should’ve been how he pursued me when I was still sixteen, just weeks after breaking things off with Travis. Luke had recently graduated from my school so we knew each other. He came to my debates, to football games, and even tried to get me to invite him to junior prom. I let him pursue me, I think I just liked the attention. No one else was interested in me.”

Percy squeezed her hand.

“We finally went on a date of sorts, he called it a friend’s date, to the movies. Sat in the back,” her voice was growing quieter as the story went on. “He…”

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“He just felt me up but for so long I felt dirty. Used. The only reason he spent time with me was because…”

“He was a creep who should be behind bars?” Percy offered.

Annabeth nodded.

“You’re so much stronger than I thought, which is really saying something because I already thought you could judo flip me no problem.”

She laughed.

“Annabeth, I promise we’ll have better communication this time. We can come up with a safe word for when we want to just have a no-judgment conversation.”

“Like what?”

“Riptide,” he suggested.

“Because the safe word will prevent us from being pulled underwater? Prevent drowning and if we let the riptide pull us out to sea we’ll be safe?”

“Ummm yes, definitely that and not because it’s the first word I thought of.”

Annabeth laughed, “Seaweed Brain.”

Percy had to stop her laughter, if only because it made him want to make her laugh more and not because he was embarrassed to be laughed at. With Annabeth, Percy would do a million stupid things just to hear her chuckle.

“Alright enough, tell me about these feelings you have for me.”

She wiped her tears away and settled herself.

“I could fall in love with you, Percy Jackson.”

“Well good,” he said, “because I could fall in love with you, Annabeth Chase.”

“So, a date, open communication, and falling in love,” Annabeth listed, “sounds like a decent plan to me.”

Percy turned toward hers and cupped her face, he murmured against her lips, “sounds like a perfect plan to me,” and then he kissed her.

[percqbethcentrql]

Part 1 - The Avatar

(okay so I edited this a bit and instead of her being Aang and Aphrodite's kid, she's going to be Ares and Aphrodite's kid. Just so it makes more sense.)

Mentions of Y/N, she.

As Grover was explaining to me who everyone was, who their parents were, if I should stay away from them and what roles they took as they walked past, I saw a girl who caught my eye.

She was sitting on a log not too far from me. People around her braided her hair who I knew were Aphrodite's kids because we saw them walk past before and Grover told me their names and who they had been claimed by.

The girl on the log was smiling and laughing, she had the prettiest smile and her laugh was contagious. I found myself smiling a bit before I interrupted Grover who I hadn’t been listening to ever since I laid eyes on this girl. 

“Hey Grover” I said without looking away from the girl sitting on the log.

“Yeah?” He said, stopping whatever he was saying before.

“Who’s that?” Grover followed my eyes and saw who I was looking at. “Oh her?” he said almost as if I should’ve already known years ago. “That’s Y/N, Daughter of Aphrodite and Ares. Also The Avatar.” Y/N, she looked like an Y/N, I should’ve guessed she was a daughter of Aphrodite, I mean look at her, she’s beautiful. And I’m not sure why but I would’ve guessed she was the avatar. Wait. Avatar?

I snapped my head to look at Grover. “Avatar?” I asked. “Yeah, y’know, Avatar? Master of 4 Elements?” He said, his tone once again confused like I should’ve known that as soon as I stepped foot here. “You don’t know what an Avatar is?” Grover questioned, sounding pretty surprised. I had obviously heard about The Avatars. Not like the movie Avatar with the blue creatures, but the Avatars, The Masters of The 4 Elements. Fire, Water, Earth and Air. 

But what I was confused about was how did a child of Aphrodite end up being the Avatar. And why was she here?

“How-” I started but Grover cut me off just as I did to him earlier. “Well Y/N’s mother is obviously Aphrodite and her father is Ares.” I was still shocked. “Wait like Ares the Greek god? How'd she end up being the avatar?” 

“Yes, and no one really knows how she ended up being the avatar. But Y/N's the first child that Ares and Aphrodite had together. Meaning she's the youngest out of the Ares Aphrodite Cabin. Which also means she can stay in whichever cabin she wants. But the story goes that it happened before Aphrodite and Ares went into Hapheastus' cave of love, which was also a trap. That's when Y/N was... Y'know. Anyways, she got sent here not long after she was born, as she had no mortal parents to go to. But anyways, everyone thinks the avatars just don't exist anymore. So it's just the monsters she has to worry about." I sat there shocked. How- I don’t even know. I looked back at Y/N. The Avatar. Daughter of Ares AND Aphrodite? She’s powerful. 

“Oh and she’s not like the rest of her cabin. She’s on Team Blue for capture the flag, which is your team.” I know she was a child of Aphrodite but I couldn’t stop looking at her. She seemed different. Well she’s also the Avatar, what should I expect. That’s not what I mean though. She had a beauty the others didn’t have. I was drawn to her. “Hey, let’s go find Luke. Dinner’s soon.” Grover patted me on the shoulder and stood up. Y/N made eye contact with me. I finally got up and went with Grover as Y/N’s siblings dragged her away. 

[fichlips]

May I please request Grover x Female reader? Grover has been in a relationship with the female reader for a while and he is happy but he wonders if it's one of those "too good to be true" moments and doubts it. But then Grover gets into an accident and when he comes to in the hospital she is there, worried beyond belief she would lose him. It's then he knows she is the one. I love me some fluff. Please and thank you!

GROVER FISCHOEDER X FEM READER

small bit of angst - aLOT OF FLUFF

————————————————————————

Grover, for once in his life, was totally content with where he was in life. He had a successful law firm and a loving girlfriend y/n, oh Y/n- she was his support system in his times of trouble, she always had his back and got his two annoying man child cousins to stop bothering him for a short while.

It was going well! Too well even.

He loved her but did she love him as much? He wasn’t sure where the relationship was going to lead- which is what lead to this argument. Hurtful words were being hurled at eachother before Grover suddenly shouted

“I DONT KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO ABOUT- about US.”

“What do you mean you don’t know what you want to do about us?!” Y/n spoke softly, tears coming to her eyes as she wrung her hands together, Grovers eyes widened- sure he could’ve worded it a bit better but to bring her to tears? That wasn’t what he had expected.

“I think I need- a break” Grover said as he picked up his car keys tears fumbling to open the door to their apartment- y/n grabbed his wrist “don’t drive! It’s so late and you’re still worked up”

“DONT TELL ME WHAT TO DO” Grover shouted and pulled his wrist back- a bit too hard, Y/ns face went flying into the door. Grover watched shocked at himself as blood started dripping from her nose as she stood up “it’s fine- I’m fine sweetheart-“

Grover got into his car, tears now blurring his eyes as he gripped the car steering wheel- he had hurt her, not just physically but emotionally! He should’ve never said that to her- he didn’t mean it he just wanted to-

BANG

WITH YOU

Your phone started to ring- it was unrecognised number, you picked it up incase it was a shopping order or something important for Grover, still tending to your nose you lifted the phone to your ear

“Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Y/n L/n?”

“Yes this is she- who are you?”

“You are listed as Mr Grover Fischoeders emergency contact- we just wanted to call you and tell you that he is in hospital”

Your breath hitched and you dropped the phone- Grover? Was in hospital!

“What is your relationship with Mr Fischoeder”

“I’m his-“ you couldn’t say girlfriend, they might not let you see him, “fiancée”

“Ah well then, he’s awake and fine, a small concussion and a fractured arm, could you come pick him up?“

“Of course I’m on my way” you said grabbing your keys and starting to the apartment door

WITH GROVER

The nurse walked into the room to put a sling on his arm- and a final check up before he went home

“Excuse me miss but- I can’t drive home like this!” Grover spoke- the pain medication making his head slightly fuzzy but able to think coherently

“No need to worry dear, your fiancée is on her way, you’re a lucky man”

“My fianc-“

You burst through the door, cutting off his question and made your way over to Grover, blood stains still on on your upper lip

“Grover- sweetheart” you whispered as you held is cheek, in such a loving and gentle way, feeling him lean against your hand as you took him in, convincing yourself he didn’t look as bad as you thought he would

“I was so worried” you said, tears starting to well up in your eyes as you hugged him, making sure not to squish his fractured arm. His eyes widened for what seemed the 100th time today, you seemed so upset at the thought of loosing him- did you really like him that much?

AFTER SIGNING OUT OF HOSPITAL

“Never do that again you hear me! Next time just go to a different room for space! I love you and I don’t want to see you in a hospital ever again!” You said, your knuckles turning white on the steering wheel as you drove carefully back to the apartment

“You love me?”

“ OF COURSE I DO! Have I not made that clear in my actions and words? Is that what the argument was about hun?”

“ I love you too! I didn’t know you loved me!” Grover was so happy! He was over the moon, the person he could see himself marrying, loved him back! He also felt foolish for his actions, realizing he could’ve solved this if he opened up a bit more

“How about when we get home, we snuggle up on the sofa, have a few snacks- a good sleep and we can talk about this in the morning” you said as you looked at him with the small smile he fell in love with

“I’d like that, a lot” he replied, resting his uninjured hand on yours and pressing a small kiss on your cheek

————————————————————————

I LOVED WRITING THIS!

I hope you enjoyed this request! Feel free to request again!

[casimirtully]

|| casimir & cedric ||

when: prior to the wedding of Cedric Tyrell and Illya Oakheart.

where: highgarden, the reach. cedric’s private quarters, sometime before nightfall.

@visxionaries​​

“I never though’t you’d say the Words twice before I even said them once.” Casimir’s voice held a tone of endearing sarcasm -- it had slipped into him the moment he’d stepped foot in Highgarden. Surprising, like when a drop of water hit you on the nose. Even with the betrayal of his elder sister only happening a few days or so before, Highgarden was... well, the truth of it? The Reach seemed, at times, just as much his home as The Riverlands. Grover Tully shoving him off to any lord who would take him in the warmer months -- desperate to not have to deal with his delinquent son -- had somehow ended up being the very best thing that had ever happened to him. 

Though the blood Qorban and his mother had shared was but a trace, Casimir had spent time in his cousin’s home the few times his Master of Whispers was not in fact at Riverrun. He had felt his heart beat in rhythm with Mooton drums. He had sailed with Mallister men, learned the ways of their ships and quietly learned some of that ancient and Old Tongue. He had witnesses the Braken’s dances, had kneeled before the dead Weirwood that had once grown at Raventree Hall beside his cousin, Lord Blackwood. He’d eaten with the small folk. He’d fought beside their sons. He’d even seen the Moon Door himself, and stood atop the Lion’s Rock. 

Grover Tully had forced him away, and instead of dooming him to a wandering existence, he’d given Casimir the greatest gift; a chance to soak in everything he could. To know his people’s passion, to respect their ways. 

But The Reach?

He had drank himself stupid with Omer Florent, sailed with Garland Hightower. Hunted with Mathis Rowan, and somehow managed to befriend The Lady of the Arbor. Endless summer days that stretched into night, where everything for a time had been simple. Safe. Fun. 

And then, there was Cedric -- his brother in every way but blood. Who’s mother had welcomed him with open arms when his own couldn’t -- who had introduced him so the gaggle of flowered lords and ladies who was the inner circle. Who understood the horrible longing to be something else, but weighed down by their deep rooted honor. Casimir had been loved, he had been cared for. He had been allowed to grow, and play music -- to be himself and forge true  friendships with those who’s respect he had to earn. Friendships, it seemed, that went deeper than the loyalty from his own blood. Than the loyalty of his own sister. 

Emilee had nearly wiped out the Tully line, and... Casimir should have been there. He should have been in Riverrun, should have seen her face before she’d been locked up. To ask why. Why she had deceived him, lied to his face. He should’ve been there to watch her burning pyre sail down The Trident. Yet, Casimir couldn’t help but be grateful he had been in Highgarden instead. Because here, he had the only people he trusted outside his council. Here, in the place that owned part of his very childhood. 

But Casimir didn’t mention her out loud. He didn’t want to -- because though he was still stinging from the loss, there wasn’t time to waste on her treason. Rather, time was better suited trying to predict the consequences rather than the reason. Things were beginning to stir anew -- abroad, and in Westeros. Casimir was unsettled, even if he seemed as relaxed as one could be in such a situation. 

“Something is changing, Cedric.” He said, stepping into the room. He held up a bottle, the light catching on amber liquid. “A wedding present.” A Riverlands Whiskey, aged in Riverrun’s own cellar. The door shutting behind him and his own guard setting up post beside Cedric’s outside, he set it down on the nearest table. “Lys has gotten bold. The fall out with the Summer Isles. And Dorne is making moves -- not to mention what The Westerlands are dealing with. The list has gotten longer.” He raised an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth quirked for a flash of a moment. “Didn’t think Old Way wedding celebrations included regicide and slave traders, mate.”

[moonflower1605]

Chapter - 25

(Ella's POV)

"Hey," I said, "I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Perce."

"That's okay."

"It's just..." I shuddered. "Spiders."

"Why are you scared of them?" He asked.

"When I was six my mom locked me in a shed full of spiders as a punishment for breaking a plate by accident. Since then I hate those creepy things...but, I owe you one."

"That's harsh. But we're a team, right?" He said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying."

I thought he'd slept, but he mumbled, "I was pretty amazing, wasn’t I?" We all laughed.

I pulled apart an Oreo, handed him half, then handed another one to Annie.

"In the Iris message...Luke said something didn't he?"

He thought for a while. "He said that you, Annabeth & him went way back. He also said Grover wouldn't fail & nobody would turn into a pine tree." Grover let a mournful bray.

"I should’ve told you the truth at the start." His voice trembled. "I thought if you knew I was a failure, you wouldn’t want me along."

"You're the satyr who tried to rescue Thalia." He asked Grover.

"The other two demigods Thalia befriended, the ones who got safely to camp.." He looked at Annie. "That was you & Luke, wasn't it?"

"Like you said, Percy, a demigod wouldn't have made it, alone. Athena guided me. Thalia was twelve. Luke was fourteen. They both ran from home, like me. They took me with them. They were amazing fighters. We traveled without a plan, fending monsters for two weeks till Grover found us."

"I had to escort Thalia to camp," he said, sniffling. "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, but I couldn't leave Luke & Annabeth. I thought... maybe I could lead all of them to safety. It's my fault the Kindly Ones caught up. I froze, got scared on the way to camp & took wrong turns. If I was a little quicker..."

"Stop it," I said. "I never blamed you. Thalia didn't blame you either."

"She sacrificed herself for us," he said, "It was my fault. The Council said so."

"Because you wouldn’t leave two other half-bloods behind?" Percy said. "That’s not fair."

"Percy's right," Annie said. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Neither would Luke. I don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling in the dark. "I’m the lamest satyr ever. I find three of the most powerful demigods Thalia, Nora & Percy."

"You're not lame," I insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr to go into the Underworld. I bet Percy is really glad you're here right now." I nudged Percy.

"Yeah," he said. "It's not luck that you found us, Grover. You've got the biggest heart any satyr's ever had. You're a natural searcher. That's why you’ll find Pan."

I heard a deep, satisfied sigh then his breathing got heavier & turned to snoring.

"How does he do that?" Percy marveled.

"It's his special talent," I said. "But that was really a nice thing you told him."

"I meant it."

We rode in silence for few miles.

"The pine tree bead," Percy said. "Is that from your first year?" I looked at him.

"Yeah," I said. "Every August, the counselors pick an important event, & paint it on that year's beads. I’ve got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress-that was a weird summer…."

I felt his gaze on me & turned to find him staring. I hadn't realized how close we were. He leaned closer & rested his forehead against mine with a sigh. I closed my eyes enjoying the moment but a muffled squeal interrupted us. We pulled away quickly.

"That is absolutely ad-or-ab-le!"

Percy blushed & I was pretty sure I did too.

"Shut up, Annie!"

"Sure, whatever. I'm off to sleep. You two should get some rest too."

"Good night, Ann."

"Night, Nora. Night Percy."

Pretty soon she was out like a light, snoring. I snuggled myself closer to Percy's side.

"So if the gods fight," he said, "things will line up the way they did with the Trojan War. It will be Zeus versus Poseidon right?"

"I don’t know what my dad will do. I just know I'll fight next to you."

"Why?" He asked me.

"Because you're my friend, Water Boy. Any more silly questions?"

I couldn't hear his reply because I'd fallen asleep, listening to his steady heartbeat.

I woke with a start.

Grover was shaking my shoulder. "The truck's stopped," he said. "We think they're coming to check on the animals."

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed.

She & I had it easy. She put her magic cap & vanished. I use my powers & turn invisible. The boys dove behind the feed sacks. I hoped they looked like turnips. The door opened.

"Man!" one of the truckers said, waving his hand in front of his ugly nose. "I wish I hauled appliances." He climbed in, pouring water from a jug into the dishes.

"You hot, big boy?" he asked the lion, then splashed the rest of the bucket right in the lion's face. The lion roared in indignation.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," the man said.

The trucker threw the antelope a squashed Happy Meal bag. He smirked at the zebra.

"How ya doin', Stripes? We'll be getting rid of you this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this. They'll saw you in half!"

I went outside still invisible & knocked on the side of the trailer. The trucker inside asked, "What'd you want, Eddie?"

The guy outside shouted back, "Maurice? What'd ya say?"

"What are you banging for?" 'Knock, knock, knock'. I was really enjoying this.

Eddie yelled, "What banging?"

The guy Maurice came outside, cursing at Eddie for being an idiot. I went back to the guys, Annie was already there. I said,

"This transport business can’t be legal."

"No kidding," Grover said. He listened. “The lion says the guys are animal smugglers! We’ve got to free them!"

Percy grabbed Riptide & cut the lock off the zebra’s cage. The zebra burst out. Grover held up his hands & said something to the zebra, like a blessing. Just as Maurice poked his head inside to check out the noise, the zebra leaped over him, onto the street.

There was yelling & cars honked. We rushed to the doors of the trailer in time to see the zebra galloping down a boulevard lined with hotels, casinos & neon signs. Maurice & Eddie ran after it, with policemen running after them, shouting, "Hey! You need a permit for that!"

"Now's a good time to leave," Annie said.

"The other animals first," Grover said.

Percy & I cut the locks with our swords. Grover said the same blessing he used for the zebra. Some tourists screamed. Most just backed off & took pictures, thinking it was some stunt by a casino.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert & all-"

"Don’t worry," he said. "I placed a satyr’s sanctuary on them."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning they'll reach the wild safely," he said. "They’ll find water, food, shade, until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can’t you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.

"It only works on wild animals."

"So it would only affect Percy," I reasoned.

“Hey!" He protested. Annie & I laughed.

"I'm kidding," I said.

"Come on. Let’s get out of this filthy truck." Annie said & we left the truck.

Link to the next chapter is here.

Link to the prev chapter is here.

Comment, like & share.

Take care my lovely readers.❤

Alice signing off.

XOXO.

[xspeter]

꥟ part of the ‘dancing with our hands tied’ collection. main masterlist.

IN WHICH… Luke Castellan has returned from his quest, but he refuses to see anyone. Too bad you’ve been assigned to watch over him.

W.C: 4.3k

You didn’t like being awoken in the middle of the night. Not by your siblings, not by a nightmare, and definitely not by Chiron.

He’d practically forced you awake, and then started telling you that there was an emergency and you were desperately needed.

Your sleep stricken mind you’d barely been able to process it, blinking a few times as you sat up slowly. Chiron stared at you expectantly, like he expected you to jump out of bed and follow him. If he wanted someone to do that, he should’ve woken up a morning person.

“…What?”

Chiron didn’t repeat himself, instead just leaving the building with a hushed whisper of, “Follow me.”

You swallowed, blinked again, and then did as you were told, slipping on a pair of crocs and wrapping your arms around your chest. The night time summer air was cold, and goosebumps rose on your skin as you followed the centaur.

Chiron didn’t say anything as you walked, well, more like jogged, and it frustrated you. Where was he taking you? What was so important that he had to wake you, and only you, up in the middle of the night?

“Chiron,” You whispered, “What’s going on?”

“Luke’s returned from his quest,” He said as you approached the Big House.

You grinned. You didn’t know Luke all that well, but you knew everyone was excitedly awaiting his return. But, your smile dropped once you noticed the worried knit in Chirons brow. “That’s supposed to be good, isn’t it?”

Chiron sighed as he placed his hand on the front door, an unusual look of worry and maybe even fear in his eyes. “I want you to be prepared when we go in here. Remember, I chose you because I believe you are the most capable in calming him.”

Your mouth went dry as you realized something was very, very wrong. “Calming… who? Luke? Did something happen?”

Chiron doesn’t say anything, instead turning the doorknob and practically forcing you inside. You wish he hadn’t.

The first thing you notice is the sobbing. Pure, unfiltered, scream-crying that makes your heart ache for someone you don’t even know. Then it’s the people, nymphs running around in a panic, random medical supplies and blankets dropping from their arms as they dart around the room.

Then it’s Mr. D. You’ve never seen Dionsysis as anything other than annoyed and irritated. But right now, he looks nervous. Scared. It’s terrifying.

You can’t tell where the sobbing is coming from, it’s so loud it feels like it’s all-consuming. Like it’s coming from every inch of the room.

You turn to Chiron, slight determination in your features, “Where is he?”

Chiron looks almost relieved, like he was expecting you to turn tail and run. Honestly? You wanted to. You weren’t equipped to handle something like this, and you had no idea what was wrong with him anyway!

He gestures towards the stairs, “First room on the left. Grover and some other satyrs are in there with him. I’ll have a nymph bring you the things you’ll need, just try to calm him down for now, alright?” You nod, sucking in a breath as he walks away from you.

There’s not many things to say as you approach the room. You can hear the Satyrs and their hushed whispers of panic and worry, and you can hear the pain in Luke’s screams. The way he cries like he’s been torn limb from limb, and maybe he had been.

You take a deep breath before you peak into the room, but you can’t see Luke. You can see Grover, tears in his eyes as tries wiping something in front of him. You notice the blood that coats his shirt and hands, the deep red cloths that surround him.

A satyr you recognize, Alder, notices you first. And you see the relief that floods his body when he does.

You swallow, and enter the room. Hands clammy as you approach Alder. Your voice wobbles a bit as you speak, “Give me a rundown of what happened.”

Alder is shaking, his breath coming in unevenly. “He- he got back barely even ten minutes ago, and he was sobbing. I couldn’t see his face at first so I didn’t understand but- but-” He sucks in another breath, squeezing his eyes shut. “It’s deep, Y/N.”

You nod. You still don’t understand completely- but you know it must be a cut of sorts which helps relieve you a bit. At least now you have an idea of what you’re dealing with.

From what you knew of Luke’s quest, he had to receive an apple from The Garden of Hesperides. And even though you didn’t know much about this garden, you had an idea of what might have given him the laceration.

You placed a hand on Grovers shoulder, and watched as he turned around to face you. You could see the blood on his shirt much better now, as well as the blood that dripped from his fingertips.

Grover didn’t question you for a moment, but you both winced as Luke let out another wail. Grover must’ve understood why you were there, so he shakily nodded his head and stepped away, letting you finally see Luke fully for the first time.

The sight makes you gasp. Luke’s face is practically covered in blood, all leaking from a jagged cut that runs down his left cheek. His eyes are squeezed shut, body practically flailing as he gasps and groans in pain.

“Okay, okay, okay..” You chant to yourself, hands unsure of where to go or what to do. You didn’t have any of the supplies you needed, not yet anyway, and Luke clearly didn’t even notice you were there. You don’t think he noticed anyone was there.

You squeezed your eyes shut, sucking in your bottom lip as you struggled with what to do. “Luke, can you- can you hear me?” You asked shakily. A stupid question, you knew he couldn’t hear you, you just weren’t sure of what else to say.

Luke didn’t respond, instead, more tears rolled down his face, making the blood run and drip down onto his pillow.

You struggled with what to do, unsure of what you could even do or say to calm him. Honestly, you weren’t sure if there even was anything you could do right now.

You glanced back to the satyrs, and then to Grover, and you felt your stomach drop. He was staring at you expectantly, his own tears leaving dark lines on his tan skin. You knew about his history with Luke, how much he cared for the older boy, and you knew seeing him like this must’ve been terrifying.

So, you did the one thing you could think of.

When you were younger, every time you cried your mother sang you a song. It was silly, and it didn’t really hold any value to Luke as far as you could tell, but it was the only thing you could think to do.

“Here comes the sun and I say, ‘It’s alright, Little Darling..’” You started hesitantly, voice quiet as you leaned down to luke, your fingers tracing his jawline.

He didn’t say anything, in fact he didn’t even react, instead continuing to writhe and scream in pain and fear. Still, you continued.

“The smiles returning to the faces, Little Darling..”

The satyrs all just stared at you in what you assumed was confusion. You didn’t blame them- you were unsure of what you were doing yourself.

“It seems like years since it’s been here, here comes the sun..”

Sometimes, if you were in an exceptionally good mood, you’d sing this song during the campfire. Apollo kids always sang during it, but you weren’t one to enjoy that with them. That’s why you think Luke recognizes it.

Slowly, his breathing evens, and his splintering sobs turn to quiet whimpers. His body relaxes, practically going still as his eyes return to their natural shut state.

You smile, cupping his uninjured cheek with your hand, ignoring the blood that soaks into your skin. “Here comes the sun and I say, ‘It’s alright’..”

☀︎

It’s five days before Luke wakes up.

You come in every morning and every night, checking on him and cleaning him up. Changing his bandages, shifting him around so he doesn’t develop sores from laying in the same position. Sometimes you go in just to keep him company.

But, still, you nearly jump out of your skin when you enter the room and find Luke sitting up, staring out the window with an obvious knit in his brows.

He turns to you once he hears the door click shut, but neither of you say anything. You feel small under his burning gaze, but still, you swallow and approach him.

You turn to the bedside table, where you’ve been keeping the fresh bandages, and silently get to work.

Luke doesn’t say anything as you gently turn his head towards you, and he doesn’t say anything as you peel back the bloody bandage that covers his left eye. It makes you nervous.

But, you know Luke has been through something traumatizing. Something you’ll probably never understand, so you don’t say anything either. If he wants to talk, you’ll let him go first.

The next three days pass by just the same. Every morning and every night, you change his bandages, check his vitals, make sure he eats, and leave. All without saying a single word.

You want to ask him what happened, if he remembers anything, if he remembers that you were there that night. Does he even remember that night? Does he even know your name?

But you don’t ask. And on that fourth day, Luke finally says something to you.

You're changing his bandage again, and make a pleased hum in the back of your throat when you notice it’s completely clean.

Luke, who usually looks anywhere but at you when you’re doing this, locks his gaze with yours. He swallows, leaning back onto his hands, “Is it better?” He asks.

You're stunned for a moment, but quickly pull yourself together. His voice is rough and raspy from what you assume is not talking for literal days, but it’s still got a soft kindness too it you’re not sure you’ve ever heard from anyone else.

“Um, yeah. There’s not any blood soaking through it anymore which is a really good thing. I mean, I was starting to get a little worried with all the bleeding but you seem to be healing up nicely.” You fiddle with your fingers a bit nervously, looking at anything but Luke.

Luke doesn’t say anything for a moment, turning his head and staring out the window. You take his indifference as a sign to leave, so you take your things and walk towards the door.

Just as you are about to close it, there’s a voice.

“Wait,”

It’s soft, and if you hadn’t been listening you probably wouldn’t have noticed it. But you do as told, turning around and making contact with the curly haired boy.

He looks to be struggling with what to say, as if he’s unsure of how to get the words out. Your hand grips the doorknob uncomfortably, eyes wide as you look expectantly at Luke.

Finally, he releases a breath and relaxes his shoulders. He looks back towards the window, and murmurs, “Thank you.”

It’s the last thing you were expecting to hear from the demi-god, but still, you practically glow once it falls from his lips.

“Of course.” You say, quietly waiting to see if he’ll say anything else. You don’t let it disappoint you much when he doesn’t, baby steps and all that, but still, for the first time in a week, you leave that room with a smile.

☀︎

The first thing you notice when you enter The Big House is yelling. Lots of it.

You’re confused, because Mr. D is standing right next to you and you’re not sure Chiron has ever raised his voice a day in his life. And then it registers. Luke.

“He’s been going at it all day.” Mr. D says, that familiar annoyance in his tone. “Get him to stop, would you?”

Your lips part as you stare up at him in shock. “Me?”

Dionysus shrugs, taking a gulp of his Coke. “You did it the last time he was raising hell! Just do whatever you did then.”

This was a completely different situation then last time! Then, Luke was barely even conscious. He couldn’t register what was going on around him, and he was screaming in pain. Not anger!

You shook your head, stumbling over your words a bit as Mr. D grabbed you by the wrist and began dragging you upstairs. “I can’t! This is completely different and has nothing to do with me! And I can’t do what I did last time- It’d be weird now!”

But, you don’t have any more time to argue, because Mr. D barges into Luke’s room without a second thought, pushing you inside and slamming the door.

Chiron and Luke both go silent, both turning to face you. Chiron looks confused, a silent question on his face. While Luke.. doesn’t look like anything. The knit in his brows relaxes, and the obvious frown that was on his face disappears. He looks as if nothing happened.

“I’m sorry,” You huff, wincing a bit as you reach for the doorknob to exit, “Mr. D kinda forced me in here, Not sure what he thought I could do…” You mumble the last part, clearly very annoyed. “But I’ll uh, i’ll just leave you guys to.. continue.” You gesture to the two of them with a fake smile on your face, struggling to open the door. Mr. D must’ve locked it, that old bastard.

Chiron shakes his head, giving you a small smile. You can tell he’s exhausted though, his eyes say it. “No, please, stay. I’ll go.” He shoots a look to Luke, who’s frown has returned onto his pink lips. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”

Luke doesn’t say anything, and Chiron opens the door so easily you almost feel embarrassed.

There’s silence as you approach him, deafening, sickening silence, and you itch to ask why he was yelling. What made him so angry?

You suck in your bottom lip and risk a glance at Luke. He’s staring out the window still, and you wonder what he thinks when he looks out there. Does he miss everyone? Does he want to go back and finish his quest?

“Um,” You release a breath, shrugging your shoulders in an attempt to seem completely indifferent. You sit on the stool next to Luke’s bed and begin to get to work, “Not to be.. nosy or anything like that, but, what was that about?”

Your hands are gentle as you softly position his head so you can get the best angle, softly peeling the bandages away and checking in on his progress. The cut has healed nicely, and it’s no longer blaring red and raw. Instead, it’s a nice pinkish color, and you can tell that scar tissue is beginning to form.

Luke doesn’t say anything for a moment, and you begin to worry that you crossed a line. “You don’t have to answer that-”

“Chiron wants to tell everyone that I’m back from my quest.”

Your blink a couple times, but smile a bit that he felt comfortable enough to answer you. You hadn’t registered that his return had been a secret until now, but you can understand why he’d want it to stay that way.

He was supposed to be this great swordsman, someone all of camp looked up to and depended on. You assumed that’s how he saw the quest, something else the rest of camp would be proud of him for.

So, when he failed? Probably not the best for his pride.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to tell. But.. they’ll all find out eventually. Wouldn’t you rather rip the band-aid off now instead of waiting?” You ask, voice a little hesitant. You don’t want to scare him off, or make him feel like he’s being attacked.

He huffs, gnawing on his lower lip as you gently replace his bandages. “What would the difference be? Disappoint everyone now, or disappoint everyone later. How fun.”

There’s a bitterness in his voice that you hadn’t expected, but you understand it. “They aren’t going to be disappointed, Luke. They’re worried for you. I see them, you know? They sit and watch the hill, waiting for you. And I don’t want to… push you, or anything, but I think maybe it’s time you let them help you.”

Luke’s lips thin, and he goes back to staring out the window. You finish your work silently and stand to leave, but a hand on your wrist stops you.

You look down surprised, finding his fingers barely locked around your wrist to stop you. He looks up, making soft eye contact with you, almost as if he were begging you not to go. You listen.

You sit back down, and Luke releases you without saying a word. It’s this moment when you can finally take the time to really admire him, not the things that leave him scarred.

His hair is a deep brown. Not quite black, but still so dark it could be mistaken for charcoal. The sunlight from the window streams onto it, making it glow a soft mocha color. His eyes match, but they're more honey-colored than anything.

Freckles dot his skin like stars, aligning to form different constellations. You resist the urge to trace them. But his lips.. they're so soft, so pink. So.. unique. You want to trace them, too.

Luke sniffles, running a hand through his hair. “It’s not… not that I don’t want to. It’s more like I can’t. How am I supposed to tell them I failed when they expected so much more of me? If I tell them that.. that I’m not as amazing as they think I am, then who do I become?”

You smile gently, eyes crinkling in the corners. You risk interlocking your fingers with his, fully expecting him to pull away, but he doesn’t. His breath hitches in his throat for a moment and you can tell he’s hesitant, but, he returns your gesture, holding your hand with a softness you hadn't expected.

“You become human.”

☀︎

News of Luke’s return spreads around the camp like wildfire. Everyone is excited, happy that he returned at all, but they are also confused. If Luke had returned, where was he? And why had no one seen him?

You honestly couldn’t help the swell of pride in your chest the next morning when you’d gone to check on Luke and he’d told you he was having Chiron tell camp. Some selfish part of you wanted to believe it was because of what you’d told him, but you knew realistically it was something Chiron had said.

You chew on your nails as your siblings talk in hushed whispers at your table. All of them talking about where the hell the hero could be and why he hadn’t been seen. Some say Chiron is just waiting until Luke is cleared of any injuries he may have gotten, others get more extreme and say he hadn't really returned at all and Chiron was just waiting to tell everyone he had died.

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything, would you, Y/N? You’ve been acting pretty secretive lately..”

Your head whips to your brother, Lee, as he eyes you suspiciously. You stammer on your words, eyes gluing to the space around him as you struggle to come up with the words. You’d never been good at lying.

“No! How would I even know anything? I know as much as you, and also, I'm sure Luke’s okay wherever he’s at so you guys should stop worrying and stop talking about it.”

Lee gasps, eyes going wide as he points an accusing finger at you. “You do know something!”

“No I don’t!”

Your sister, Marcia, snorts and rolls her eyes. “You totally do.”

You stutter for a second, racking your brain for an excuse. “I’m- your- whatever! I have to go!” You stand abruptly, walking away and ignoring the way Lee groans and pleads with you to tell him.

You find yourself in the strawberry field, just as you always do when you feel conflicted, and pick so many red berries that your basket feels as if it weighs more than a super fat cat.

You huff as you drag them to The Big House, your arm slightly aching. Look, you weren’t one to… physically exert yourself. You’d stick to nursing people back to health, thank you.

Luke watches you curiously as you plop the strawberries onto the bedside table, slightly panting as you do. You rub at your forearms, doing your best to smooth the ache there. “I figured Chiron wasn’t bringing you any of these, and I remembered someone told me that you really liked them. So…”

You winced a bit, mentally cursing yourself for mentioning that last part.

But Luke doesn’t mention it, instead he just stares up at you, and you watch as his lips quirk up into a small, genuine smile. “Thank you.”

There’s a swell of pride in your chest, one that you allow yourself to be selfish about, because Luke Castellan is smiling and it’s just about the prettiest thing you’ve ever seen.

“Don’t mention it.”

You both chat aimlessly as you patch him up and you even stay to talk with him way after you finish. In the two weeks Luke has been holed up in this room, you can tell the effect it’s having on him mentally and physically.

He’s lost most of the tan that used to kiss his skin, and instead is an uncharacteristic pale color. His muscles have become less defined (not that you were paying attention to that), and he just seems more bored than anything now. You don’t blame him, having to have his only conversations revolve with the same four people. Chiron, Mr. D. Grover, and you.

“No, come on, there's no way you purposely skip out on capture the flag!”

You shrug nonchalantly, playing with the ends of your hair as you lean back onto the backrest of the stool. “I just don’t see the point. And, besides, I enjoy helping everyone with their injuries. It’s usually only the younger kids who come in with little scrapes and cuts, so it’s super easy and they always give me these adorable little smiles.”

Luke listens intently to your reason, and he finds it almost endearing how you ramble, a soft smile on your face as you think of the kids. “I understand that then, I guess. I love those troublemakers too. Sometimes.”

You snort, glancing up from the hair you were tangling and towards him. His eyes are soft, arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the headboard. “Only sometimes?”

He shrugs, “Yeah, only when they’re not causing some kind of trouble. Which is pretty much always..”

You silently agree with him on that, nodding your head. You want to ask him when he plans to leave this room, you’d cleared him two days ago, but decide against it. Luke would leave when he was ready, but maybe he just needed a push in the right direction, just like last time.

“I heard Connor talking about you today.”

Luke sits up a bit in interest, scratching his forearm. “Really? What’d he say?”

You suck in a breath, wetting your lips nervously. “He said he missed you. And that he was worried about you.”

The smile on Luke’s lips falls, and is replaced with his usual nonchalance. His body deflates, and he turns his attention to the sheets in front of him. “Oh.”

You nod, “I think everyone misses you. And they all kinda just wait to hear any news about you they can get. It’s kind of sad, honestly. And, to be perfectly clear, I am an absolute horrible liar and my siblings are starting to catch onto my daily visits here. I fear if you don’t make an appearance soon they might follow me.”

Luke snorts at that, but he doesn’t smile. You want to pry open his mind and understand just what he’s thinking. “I want to. I’m just.. I'm scared of them. Of how they’ll look at me.”

You shake your head, “Luke, they love you. Like, seriously love you. You’ve gotta stop getting in your head about this, let them show you how they’ll look at you. Not your head.”

Luke sighs, letting his eyes fall shut as he processes. You think that deep down he knows your right, he just needs to set his fear to the side. And you definitely understand how hard that can be.

You stand, walking over to the door quietly. You open it, but pause before you leave and look back at him. “Let them love you, Luke.”

You're not surprised when the next morning, Luke isn’t in his usual spot. You’re especially not surprised once you hear the cheers that come from the lunch area.

You peek around the corner with a smile, happily watching as practically everyone in camp surrounds Luke.

None of them even seem to care about the new jagged scar that covers his left eye, or the way he seems like a completely different boy from the one who left all that time ago.

“What happened on your quest? Did you complete it?” Someone, you can’t make out who, asks. You hold your breath as Luke hears it, his smile faltering slightly.

“I, uh,” He stammers, looking uneasy. You curse and step out of your hiding place, doing your best to put yourself in Luke’s line of sight.

He spots you almost instantly, and you watch as relief floods his entire body. You give him an encouraging thumbs up and a large smile.

He returns the smile, and looks back to the camper who asked. “I didn’t get the apple, but, I did get this super cool scar-”

You watch as Luke makes eye contact with you again, and he doesn’t have to speak for you to know what hes saying.

Thank you.