²Olden Crown, heroes of olympus

023.

OLDEN CROWN
━━ chapter twenty-three

━━ ABILENE DOESN'T THINK she had ever seen Camp Jupiter celebrate more. Campers, Amazons, and Lares crowded the mess hall for a lavish dinner. Even the fauns were invited since they'd helped out by bandaging the wounded after the battle ( but she figured that had more to do with pity rather than anything else ). Wind nymphs zipped around the room, delivering orders of pizza, burgers, steaks, salads, and burritos, all flying at terminal velocity.

Despite the exhausting battle, everyone was in good spirits. Casualties had been light, and the few campers who had previously died and come back to life, like Gwen, hadn't been taken to the Underworld. Maybe Thanatos had turned a blind eye. Or maybe Pluto had given those folks a pass, as he had for Hazel. Whatever the case, nobody complained.

Colorful Amazon and Roman banners hung side-by-side from the rafters. The restored golden eagle stood proudly behind the praetor's table, and the walls were decorated with cornucopias—magical horns of plenty that spilled out recycling waterfalls of fruit, chocolate, and fresh-baked cookies. Abilene wasn't sure she had ever felt so hungry and full at the same time; she didn't have an appetite, she was still feeling sick from the battle jitters ( and learning her mother was Big Bad Gaea ), but everything smelled so good.

The cohorts mingled freely with the Amazons, jumping from couch to couch as they pleased, and for once the soldiers of the Fifth were welcome everywhere. Abilene changed seats so many times she lost her dinner ( not that she was entirely upset by it ). She tried to find Frank in the sea of chatting people—preferably when he was alone, so they could talk. They needed to talk—about her mother, about his family gifts, about the future, and ... something else she could barely even stomach before even saying aloud. But everyone kept pulling her into conversations, asking about the quest to save free Thanatos—how many monsters were there? What was a quest like? How scary was Thanatos? The giant. When did she get so good at controlling trees and dirt? The last question made her choke, and she quickly escaped the conversation with some kids in the Third Cohort.

Abilene meant it when she had given the golden eagle for Percy to carry. Camp Jupiter would want nothing to do with her after they learned—she was Gaea's demigod child, not Ceres's—and they would, eventually. They would learn one way or another—if she, or someone else on the quest, spilled the news, or if Octavian saw something in his auguries ( frankly, that didn't seem likely, but she was also ... Gaea's daughter, who would think that's likely? ), or if Gaea herself said something. Abilene didn't know what would be the worst, but she knew what Frank would tell her when she asked for his advice.

If she ever managed to find him here, that is.

Once everyone had eaten and the plates stopped flying, Reyna made a short speech. She formally welcomed the Amazons, thanking them for their help. Then she hugged her sister and everybody applauded. The daughter of Bellona raised her hands for quiet. "My sister and I haven't always seen eye to eye—"

Hylla laughed. "That's an understatement."

"She joined the Amazons," Reyna continued, glancing at her older sister. "I joined Camp Jupiter. But looking around this room, I think we both made good choices. Strangely, our destinies were made possible by the hero you all just raised to praetor on the battlefield—Percy Jackson."