Penny Ranger and the Lightning Thief

Chapter XXXXI: I Make a Questionable Decision

We were the first people to come back from a quest alive ever since Luke came back from his. And to add to that, we had come back with a victory. As such, we received a true hero's welcome. We were given laurel wreaths and led the procession to the bonfire. There we burnt our burial shrouds, definitely a highlight.

I was surprised at how well crafted my shroud was, made of white linen and golden threads tracing rays of sunlight across the fabric. Annabeth's was also very beautiful, made of shimmering grey silk with owls stitched on it. Percy commented that it was a shame not to bury us in them, and while I kind of agreed, I was also very much on the side of Annabeth when she punched him and told him to shut up.

Since he didn't have any siblings, the Ares cabin had offered to make his burial shroud. They had simply gotten an old bedsheet, drew smiley faces with the eyes x'ed out and scribbled the word 'LOSER' in giant letters across the middle. Truly a work of art.

The singalong was extra animated that night, and for the first time I didn't feel the need to hide behind the voices of my more talented siblings. Instead, I sung the lyrics along with my siblings as we led the rest of Camp Half-Blood through the songs, my brothers and sisters placing their arms over my shoulders and giving me proud smiles.

We also got to congratulate Grover on finally getting his searcher's license. I hoped maybe now he would have a chance to move past his guilt over Thalia. Gods know he deserved it.

I eventually walked away from the bonfire, looking to cool down a bit. I smiled as I looked up, the stars starting to shine against the night sky.

"There she is."

I turned around to see a pair of pale blue eyes and a mischievous grin.

"The heroine of the day." Max said as he walked up to me.

"I didn't do it alone." I replied with a smile.

"Of course not. Nobody wins alone." he agreed.
"So, how were the arrows?"

"Amazing. Those cable arrows saved my life. Literally." I said as I turned to face him.
"Thank you."

He placed a hand under his chin as if he were thinking about something.

"So, what you're saying is that I indirectly saved your life. Which means I'm indirectly responsible for the success of the quest, correct?" he said.

I laughed in response.

"You know, I thought we were having a moment. But you just stomped all over it." I told him.

"Oh, come on. I get a bit of the credit at least, right?" he insisted playfully.

I shook my head, my grin never leaving my face.

"You're something else, Whitfield." I said, walking back towards the bonfire.

"Hey, don't leave me hanging, sunflower! Come on, what's my percentage? At least ten percent, right? Sunflower?" he called out as he chased after me.

*

Thankfully, our celebrity didn't last long. Soon enough we had all gotten pulled back into the Camp Half-Blood routine. It never got dull though, and I fully welcomed the slightly less hectic process of training than the stress of being on a quest. It was good to test your skills in a real situation and there was nothing like the thrill of actually being out in the world, but after what we had been through I really just wanted to take it easy for a couple of months. I also had time to get to know the rest of my siblings better. As our dad predicted, we had a lot of fun going through his music. I also got the chance to get to know the people from the other cabins better, and eventually told Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Max about the situation with my mother. Thinking about her did make me feel a bit sad, but they managed to cheer me right back up. Especially Max when he mockingly complained that missing parents was his thing and if it turned out the monster had been a hellhound he was gonna sue me for copyright infringement.