❦𝓕𝓪𝓿𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓻𝓲𝓶𝓮❦ - 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓬𝔂 𝓙𝓪𝓬𝓴𝓼𝓸𝓷

𝒳𝒳𝐼𝐼𝐼. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐹𝓁𝑒𝑒𝒸𝑒 𝒲𝑜𝓇𝓀𝓈... 𝓣𝓸𝓸 𝒲𝑒𝓁𝓁

They arrived in Long Island just after Clarisse, thanks to the centaurs' travel powers. Zoe and Percy rode on Chiron's back, but none of them talked much. When they got to camp, the centaurs were anxious to meet Dionysus. They'd heard he threw some really wild parties, but they were disappointed. The wine god was in no mood to celebrate as the whole camp gathered at the top of Half-Blood Hill.

The camp had been through a hard two weeks. The arts and crafts cabin had burned to the ground from an attack by a Draco Aionius (which was pretty much Latin for Dragon or "really-big-lizard-with-breath-that-blows-stuff-up" as Percy put it). The Big House's rooms were overflowing with wounded. The kids in the Apollo cabin, who were the best healers, had been working overtime performing first aid. Everybody looked weary and battered as they crowded around Thalia's tree. The moment Clarisse draped the Golden Fleece over the lowest bough, the moonlight seemed to brighten, turning from gray to liquid silver. A cool breeze rustled in the branches and rippled through the grass, all the way into the valley. Everything came into sharper focus—the glow of the fireflies down in the woods, the smell of the strawberry fields, the sound of the waves on the beach.

Gradually, the needles on the pine tree started turning from brown to green.

Everybody cheered. It was happening slowly, but there could be no doubt—the Fleece's magic was seeping into the tree, filling it with new power and expelling the poison.

Chiron ordered a twenty-four/seven guard duty on the hilltop, at least until he could find an appropriate monster to protect the Fleece. He said he'd place an ad in Olympus Weekly right away.

In the meantime, Clarisse was carried on her cabin mates' shoulders down to the amphitheater, where she was honored with a laurel wreath and a lot of celebrating around the campfire.

Nobody gave Annabeth or Percy or Zoe a second look. It was as if they'd never left. In a way, Zoe guessed that was the best thank-you anyone could give them, because if they admitted the trio had snuck out of camp to do the quest, they'd have to expel the three of them.

Later that night, as they were roasting s'mores and listening to the Stoll brothers tell them a ghost story about an evil king who was eaten alive by demonic breakfast pastries, Clarisse shoved Percy from behind. Zoe being right next to him, heard Clarisse whisper in his ear, "Just because you were cool one time, Jackson, don't think you're off the hook with Ares. I'm still waiting for the right opportunity to pulverize you."

Percy gave her a grudging smile.

"What?" the daughter of Ares demanded.

"Nothing," he said. "Just good to be home."

Zoe laughed and rolled her eyes, taking a bite of her s'more.

The next morning, after the party ponies headed back to Florida, Chiron made a surprise announcement: the chariot races would go ahead as scheduled. They'd all figured they were history now that Tantalus was gone, but completing them did feel like the right thing to do, especially now that Chiron was back and the camp was safe.

Zoe called her dad, giving him a less intense run down of her quest. Tony yelled at her, then rambled on about how happy he was that she was okay.

Percy teamed up with Annabeth, Zoe, and Tyson. Percy would drive, Annabeth would defend and Zoe and Tyson would act as their pit crew. Zoe wasn't in the chariot because there wasn't enough room and Tyson, because he wasn't too keen on the idea of getting back in a chariot after his first experience. While Percy worked with the horses, Tyson and Zoe fixed up Athena's chariot and added a whole bunch of special modifications.

They spent the next two days training like crazy. Annabeth, Zoe and Percy agreed that if they won, the prize of no chores for the rest of the month would be split between their three cabins. Since Athena and Aphrodite had more campers, they would get most of the time off. Zoe knew her siblings wouldn't be happy if they got the chance to get out of work and she didn't take it for them.