Sea Green Eyes

Trials of Apollo - Part Six

For every victory there is sacrifice and this sacrifice was the massive outbreak of hay fever that spread across the whole camp, with very few survivors.

Will Solace and Apollo spent the evening caring for the wounded, which meant that they were naturally running low on bandages, duct tape and Solace Solution. Chiron provided healing poultices for the most extreme cases of hay fever. Sherman Yang graciously agreed not to kill Nico for tossing him out of his chariot, or Apollo for damaging it, though the son of Ares was keeping his probably keeping his options open for later. He actually owed that to Cressida, no surprise, because she needed both Sherman and Nico to help keep the spirits of the dead in line as they began helping deal with the carnage the camp was left in. Obviously, she would have to confer with Nyssa and Annabeth on the redesign of the dining pavilion and on Cabin Four but other than that, the dead could handle the rest.

As for Percy, he rather reluctantly left his girlfriend's side as he recruited some whales and hippocampi to help haul the Colossus carcass to his father's underwater palace where it would be repurposed as garden statuary. Cressida also organised for Miranda and Billie to take up temporary residence in the Hermes cabin until their cabin could be rebuilt.

And almost as if sensing his daughter was home, Dionysus chose to make a quick reappearance as his daughter embraced him warmly before fondly/reluctantly shaking Percy's hand as the daughter of wine glared at both of them. And within saying two words to each other, Cressida was already walking away and leaving them to their own devices because she wasn't going to deal with it. And she swore she saw the two of them laugh behind her back.

The two most senior campers were also informed about Nero and about Meg being his stepdaughter and the grove of prophecy-spouting trees and all the drama that happened on that quest.

Apollo was actually sitting on Half-Blood Hill, near Peleus and the Athena statue as he asked for its advice and watched the camp down below.

Despite how easy it would be to leave, to run far away, maybe find Meg whose last order to him was so vague that it gave him the grey area to come after her, he was a coward. He wanted to stay with his children as he saw Dionysus do with his daughter. He wanted to help Harley put smiley faces on his flamethrower and improve his music and archery through practice, but most of all, he wanted to have a home. And he could see so easily why Cressida Lynn and Percy Jackson defended their camp, their second home so valiantly. It was easy to see himself finding a home here.

With the camp lights coming on, campers began waking up. Sherman Yang began his morning stretches. Harley was riding around on Cressida's shoulders as she held a clipboard in her hands and Harley held his Leo Valdez beacon as high as he could with the hope that it would finally work.

He watched as Percy walked towards the two with a smile on his face as he fixed Harley with a smirk and the kid gave a cheeky laugh before Percy was snatching the small boy off his girlfriend's shoulders as he tickled him.

Cressida smiled at the scene before she separated the two and whispered something to Harley whose face went slack before he nodded and went running towards Cabin Twelve. The grapevine building hoisting the boy onto the roof as he held his beacon higher and the couple laughed at the sight as Percy threw an arm over her shoulders. Cressida pushed him off though in favour of a red-haired girl that seemed equally as happy to see her before Percy pouted as the two girls made their way up the hill, having spotted Apollo.

And as Cressida walked arm in arm with Rachel Dare, Percy was frowning like a kicked puppy as he followed after them.

"I know what you're thinking," Rachel said when they finally reached the top. "Don't do it."