Melpomene (PJO)

25. Homeward bound

The flight back to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport was short, but it felt long.

It was also probably the most turbulent plane journey that Mari had ever experienced. The plane jostled and jolted every which way like a bumpy roller-coaster ride. Will distracted himself by checking through the medical supplies he'd packed to take back from the camp infirmary, 'just in case'. Mari busied herself by reading through her summer progress report. Mr. D had insisted on giving them out this year, even though nobody was in the mood to have their survival graded.

Dear Marie Antoinette,

Below is your progress report for the summer, which will be sent home to your parents. We are happy to report that your marks are passable, so you will not be fed to the harpies at the present time. Please review and sign for our records.
Sincerely,

CHIRON, ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR AND DIONYSUS, CAMP DIRECTOR

MONSTER-MAIMING (B+):
Marion has progressed nicely in her general maiming capabilities since last year. She even managed to help take down the Aethiopian Drakon this summer! Good job, Marion!

DEFENCE (B+):

Marion has been in seventeen near-death situations this summer. A new record! This could perhaps be improved by honing her latent mist-controlling abilities.

SWORD FIGHTING (A):

Marion is highly skilled with a sword, her weapon-of-choice. However, it is advised that she actually use this weapon mid fight. We have been told that lowering your sword mid-battle may result in a slight case of death.

AEAEAN MIST MANIPULATION (C+):

Marion is the first, and likely only demigod to ever possess this ability, so we have no method of comparison. As such, we have found it challenging to grade. However, Marion should take comfort in the knowledge that she can't ever be the worst! Or is it the best? We are unsure. Regardless, she should make sure to practice throughout the year!

TEAM SPIRIT (A+):

Marion has demonstrated excellent team spirit this summer. Perhaps too much team spirit. Please note that attempting to stage a mutiny during capture the flag because 'Clovis called Drew a useless Aphrodite kid and needed to be punished' is not an adequate battle strategy.

GREEK SPEAK (A+):

Marion has always excelled in this area, we think because her time with Circe in the island of Aeaea gave her a natural head start. We would like to remind her that using this advantage to learn Ancient Greek profanities is STILL not worth extra credit.

FOOT RACING (A+):

We were unable to hold any races this summer due to imminent threats to Camp Half-Blood. However, Marion certainly excels at running away from things that are trying to kill her.

ARCHERY (A*):

Marion is a highly skilled archer, though it is not her preferred weapon. She managed three bullseyes, and didn't miss a single shot this summer!

JAVELIN THROWING (A*):

Marion is an excellent javelin thrower! However, it should be noted that she has a tendency to mix up her left and right when given instructions, which often causes her to hit the wrong target.

ROCK CLIMBING (A+):

Marion has improved her climbing skills, likely from her time spent crawling through tunnels in the labyrinth. However, she does not often turn up to sessions. It has been suggested that this is because the threat of falling into lava is 'not very fun'.