¹On This Spring Day, percy jackson & the olympians

019.

ON THIS SPRING DAY
━━━━━ chapter nineteen

━━━━━ MANHATTAN WAS EERILY quiet compared to Mount Olympus's booming party. 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 Annabeth, Grover, Violet, and Percy at the Empire State Building and ferried the campers back to Camp through a light snowstorm. The Long Island Expressway was almost deserted.

As the four trudged back up Half-Blood Hill to the pine tree where the Golden Fleece glittered, Violet half expected to see Thalia there, waiting for them. But she wasn't. The daughter of Zeus was long gone with Artemis and the rest of the Hunters, off on their next adventure.

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 in New Mexico. Within an hour, the satyrs were all running around agitated, asking where the nearest espresso bar was.

Annabeth, Percy, and Violet sat with Chiron and some of the other senior campers—Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers. Even AJ joined, looking confused as he walked in behind the Stolls. He sent Violet a look, it reading, What the hell did you do?

She shrugged to him, nodding to Annabeth. AJ straightened as his dark eyes locked on Annabeth.

You saved her? he mouthed.

Violet nodded, almost smiling.

Even Clarisse La Rue from the Ares Cabin was there, back from her secretive scouting mission. Violet knew the daughter of Ares must've had a difficult quest, because she didn't even try to pulverize Percy ( who she hated more than any other camper, which was saying something ). She had a new scar on her chin, and her dirty blonde 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!"

The daughter of Athena smiled at Percy and Violet gratefully. Connor nudged Violet.

"You never told me you thought you were going to sneak on the quest," he murmured. "I would've helped."

"Well ..." Violet shifted uncomfortably, "I didn't know. Honest, Connor. I hadn't planned to."

"Luke is alive," Percy announced, looking away from the two whispering to the other. "Annabeth was right."

Violet leaned forward, breaking her conversation with Connor. "How do you know?"

Some part of her wondered if the son of Poseidon had the same gut feeling, or if that ringing in his ears was the same, like her. She wanted it to be like her. Violet didn't want that to just be her. If it was ... well, she wanted to understand why.

But that other part of her was scared of finding out if it was just her.

Percy told them what his dad said about the Princess Andromeda.

"Well." Annabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "If the final battle does come when Percy is sixteen, at least we have two more years to figure something out."