Percy Jackson Series. Annabeth Chase X Male Reader Story

We Have Our Club Memberships Revoked

(Y/N)'s POV

We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality TV contest.

According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honour, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial shrouds our cabins had made for us in our absence.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful, grey silk with embroidered owls, I told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She punched me and told me to shut up. Percy's was a sight, being the son of Poseidon, he didn't have any cabin mates, so the Ares cabin had volunteered to make his shroud.

They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X'ed-out eyes around the border, and the word LOSER painted really big in the middle. It was fun to burn. My shroud was another story. I was going out in style.

If there was a market for designer burial shrouds, the Aphrodite cabin had it on lock. A satin shroud of deep black and gold lining, each stitch looked professionally done, it had images of scythes, chains, doors, and ghosts in a pattern across the fabric. It was almost a shame to burn it.

Silena had turned her head as she watched it burn and cried into her brother's shoulder at watching all her hard work go to waste. She looked at me and gave me a hug that was so tight I worried I might have required a new shroud.

Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get himself killed and now he'll have an even bigger head. Well, huzzah for that. In other announcements, there will be no canoe races this Saturday..."

There was a sense of uneasiness I felt as he made the announcement, it was too normal, I was totally out of place and stuck out like a sore thumb. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed that I was intruding.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out toasted marshmallows, I was surrounded by my old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena and Grover's satyr buddies, who were admiring the brand-new searcher's licence he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Horns-and whiskers above anything we have seen in the past." The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates.

She was still in a huff that I left tire tracks on her dad's head, but she'd get over it. She said 'pride' 'disgrace' 'honour' and 'Punk!' all in the same sentence, it was quite impressive really, and I finally learned that I was indeed the punk, or at least one of many.

After more than a year of isolating myself, keeping myself free of burdens and weaknesses called friends, I didn't see it until I was in the middle of it. All my friends. After that, I chose to make a decision. No more hiding away out of fear.

I had Chiron make an announcement...that I was going to make an announcement. He nudged me some point after dinner. I stood up on a table, something Chiron frowned upon, but begrudgingly let pass.

I regretted it immediately, I hadn't thought it through, I was too busy stealing marshmallows. "Uh...Hello" I said, there were a few giggles that put me off for a second.

"Hi. I'm...I'm (Y/N), some of you may not know me, but I'm kind of new here, I've been around, but this is my first time staying at camp." I said, my nerves growing.

"Look. I know there's a lot of rumours floating around about me, not all of which I appreciate but I just wanted to clear the air." I took a breath, "So again. I'm (Y/N), Son of Thanatos. Nice to meet you all."