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{ 🔮 } · and they tell the story. . . . ݁ ٬٬ ࣪
COMPARED TO MOUNT OLYMPUS, Manhattan was quiet. Friday before Christmas, but it was early in the morning, and hardly anyone was on Fifth Avenue. Argus, the many-eyed security chief, picked up Endora, Annabeth, Grover, and Percy at the Empire State Building and ferried them back to camp through a light snowstorm. The Long Island Expressway was almost deserted.
As they trudged back up Half-Blood Hill to the pine tree where the Golden Fleece glittered, Endora half expected to see Thalia there, waiting for them. But she wasn't. She was long gone with Artemis and the rest of the Hunters, off on their next adventure.
But there were people waiting there. Endora was greeted with a bear hug from both of her siblings as they hugged each other, breathing a sigh of relief finally having their sister in their arms again. It took everything in the girl not to break down in front of them after the fight she had with their brother ─ betrayal that she experienced like bullets into her soft skin. The girl gripped Basil's shoulders, kissing the crown of his head before she kissed Lou Ellen's cheek, stroking the cheek with her free hand. They were everything she needed; they were her family and she will make sure nothing happens to them, even if that meant hiding stuff from them.
Everything to keep them safe.
Chiron greeted them at the Big House with hot chocolate and toasted cheese sandwiches. Grover went off with his satyr friends to spread the word about their strange encounter with the magic of Pan. Within an hour, the satyrs were all running around agitated, asking where the nearest espresso bar was.
Endora, Annabeth and Percy sat with Chiron and some of the other senior campers ─ Fredrick, Lee, Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers. Even Clarisse from the Ares cabin was there, back from her scouting mission. Endora knew she must've had a difficult quest, because she didn't even try to pulverize any of them. She had a new scar on her chin, and her dirty blond hair had been cut short and ragged, like someone had attacked it with a pair of safety scissors.
"I got news," she mumbled uneasily. "Bad news."
"I'll fill you in later," Chiron said with forced cheerfulness. "The important thing is you have prevailed. And you saved Annabeth!"
Annabeth smiled at Endora and Percy gratefully. From the corner of her eye, the girl saw Fredrick looking at the blonde girl with an unreadable expression. He looked away quickly as he caught Endora's eye. The girl tilted her head a bit ─ his heartbeat rose, she could feel it from where she sat next to the son of Poseidon.
"Luke is alive," Percy said. "Endora and Annabeth were right."
Endora raised an eyebrow, "You were eavesdropping, Water Boy."
