VIDEO GAMES! (p. jackson) (#1)

- one

AUGUST 11, 2020

SURPRISINGLY, ROSE WAS HAVING A FAIRLY GOOD DAY.

she had gotten to camp on july ninth. she'd spent the last month having fun with her friends and trying to help plan things for the war that loomed over them. she was on her way to go canoeing with connor when she saw charles beckendorf leaving for a combat mission.

"good luck," rose had told him. he'd looked terrified.

he gave a short nod. "thanks. hey, promise me something."

she waited.

"promise me you'll look after silena if i don't make it back."

"you're coming back," she'd insisted, adjusting her mask.

"just promise me."

"yeah," she said. "i promise."

she watched him fly out on a pegasus with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

she'd spent the hour of free time she had before dinner in the canoe lake, and was playing a soccer game with a few of her friends when percy came back.

a conch shell sounded from the beach. something was happening.

"do you think—"

"no," rose said, cutting lacy off. "percy and beckendorf are probably back from their mission."

they were some of the first ones there, as the arena was close to the beach.

"hey," rose smiled. she looked happy to see him. she'd barely seen percy over the summer— she was tutoring kids from local middle schools, and they'd both been busy with combat missions.

well, she had. percy had mostly been hanging out with rachel.

but her face dropped when she saw the expression on percy's face. "what happened? where's beckendorf?"

he wouldn't look at anyone but her. he stepped forward, and she pulled him into her arms.

"i tried to save him, but the ship exploded," percy said into her shoulder, his voice shaking like he was holding back tears. she'd been playing soccer in a sports bra and running shorts. her skin tingled where his body pressed into her.

"it's not your fault," she assured him, pushing back her own tears. "i promise."

"percy?" silena beauregard, charles's girlfriend and rose's sister, pushed through the crowd. her hair was uncombed and she wasn't wearing makeup, which was unlike her.

rose turned, one hand on percy's arm, which was still around rose's waist.

"where's charlie?" silena demanded, looking around like he might be hiding.

percy looked at chiron helplessly.

chiron cleared his throat. "silena, my dear, let's talk about this at the big house—"

"no," she said. "no, no!"

she started to cry, and the rest of them stood around, too stunned to speak. they'd already lost so many people, but this was by far the worst. rose had been close with beckendorf. most of them had been. he was one of the nicest people there. with him gone, it felt like someone had stolen the anchor for the entire camp.

silena had been so distant lately. nobody knew why. beckendorf dying was not doing her any favors.

finally, clarisse came forward. she put her arm around silena. they had one of the strangest friendships ever— a daughter of the war god and a daughter of the love goddess— but ever since silena had given clarisse advice last summer about her first boyfriend, clarisse had decided she was the personal bodyguard for silena and the entire aphrodite cabin. she was even nice to rose, which she was still getting used to.