𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝐩. 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧

Trust? Never heard of it

It was camp tradition to burn the burial shrouds of the returned Half-Bloods in the fire during the ceremony. It wasn't an ordinary occurrence as not many demigods return from their quests.

The Apollo cabin had volunteered to create a shroud for Evangeline since she had no siblings. Evangeline's was a black shroud with green snakes embroidered on it and a skull stitched in the middle. Her eyes landed on Micheal Yew who had a proud look on his face and Will Solace who held a toothy smile on his face as he showed his creation. Evangeline was stunned and surprised that someone made it for her,

"Thanks, guys, it's uh..." she paused.

"...Amazing, the best thing you've ever seen." Will continued for her.

"Sure. Let's go with that," she told the son of Apollo.

Annabeth's shroud was a grey silk with embroidered owls and given that Percy didn't have any siblings, the Ares Cabin volunteered to make his shroud. They'd taken an old bedsheet and painted smiley faces with X's as eyes.

As Apollo Cabin led the sing-along and passed out toasted marshmallows, Percy was surrounded by his old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's siblings from Athena cabin surrounded her, and Grover's satyr buddies surrounded him, who were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

Evangeline wasn't surrounded by anybody she was just there, alone like she always has been. She always wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister, but she knew that was only ever going to be a thought. It was going to be just her and Hades forever, nobody else. She was left out, all alone, and treated just like her father. Maybe Ares was right. Maybe she was more like Hades than she had thought.

Soon enough it was the 4th of July. As a tradition, the whole Camp gathered at the beach for a fireworks display by Cabin Nine. Being Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for a few lame red-white-and-blue explosions. They'd anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rockets the size of Patriot missiles. The blasts would be sequenced so tightly they'd look like frames of animation across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors who would crackle to life above the ocean, fight a battle, and then explode into a million colors.

As Annabeth, Percy, and her were spreading a picnic blanket, Grover came by to tell them goodbye. He was dressed in his usual jeans and T-shirt and trainers, but in the last few weeks he'd started to look older, almost high-school age.

His goatee had got thicker. He'd put on weight. His horns had grown a few centimeters at least, so he now had to wear his rasta cap all the time to pass as human.

"I'm off," he said, giving the three a sad goat-eyed look. "I just came to say ... well, you know."

  Annabeth gave him a hug. Evangeline gave him a high five as she told him to keep his fake feet on. Percy asked Grover where he was going to search first.

"Kind of a secret," he said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan ..."

"We understand," Evangeline told him. "You got enough tin cans with you?"

"Yeah."

"And you remembered your reed pipes?" The blonde asked. "You know helpful songs?"

"Jeez, guys," he grumbled, doing his best to sound annoyed. "You're like an old mama goat."

He gripped his walking stick and slung a backpack over his shoulder. He looked like any hitchhiker you might see on a highway.

"Well," he said, "wish me luck." He gave Annabeth another hug. He clapped Percy on the shoulder and gave Evangeline a warm smile before he headed back through the dunes.