GODS AND MONSTERS , pjo

19 , the tree comes to life

CHAPTER NINETEEN:
THE TREE COMES TO LIFE
Blood upon the snow — Hozier & Bear McCreary

      That afternoon was one of the happiest I'd ever spent at camp, which maybe goes to show, you never know when your world is about to be rocked to pieces.

      Grover announced that he'd be able to spend the rest of the summer with us before resuming his quest for Pan. His bosses at the Council of Cloven Elders were so impressed that he hadn't gotten himself killed and had cleared the way for future searchers, that they granted him a two-month furlough and a new set of reed pipes. The only bad news: Grover insisted on playing those pipes all afternoon long, and his musical skills hadn't improved much. He played YMCA," and the strawberry plants started going crazy, wrapping around our feet like they were trying to strangle us. I guess I couldn't blame them.

      Later on during archery class, Chiron pulled me and Percy aside and told us he'd fixed our problems with Meriwether Prep. The school no longer blamed us for destroying their gymnasium. The police were no longer looking for us.

      "How did you manage that?" Percy asked.

      Chiron's eyes twinkled. "I merely suggested that the mortals had seen something different on that day—a furnace explosion that was not your fault."

      "You just said that and they bought it?"

      "I manipulated the Mist. Some day, when you're ready, I'll show how it's done."

      "You mean, we can go back to Meriwether next year?"

      Chiron raised his eyebrows. "Oh, no, they've still expelled you. Your headmaster, Mr. Bonsai, said you had—how did he put it?—un-groovy karma that disrupted the school's educational aura. But you're not in any legal trouble, which was a relief to your mother. Oh, and speaking of your mother He unclipped his cell phone from his quiver and handed it to Percy. "It's high time you called her."

      The worst part was the beginning—the "Percy-and-river-Jackson-what-were-you-thinking-do-you-have-any-idea-how-worried-I-was-sneaking-off-to-camp-without-permission-going-on-dangerous-quests-and-scaring-me-half-to-death" part.

      But finally she paused to catch her breath. "Oh, I'm just glad you're safe!"

      That's the great thing about my mom. She's no good at staying angry. She tries, but it just isn't in her nature.

      "We're sorry, Mom," we told her. "We won't scare you again."

      "Don't promise me that. You know very well it will only get worse." She tried to sound casual about it, but I could tell she was pretty shaken up.

      I wanted to say something to make her feel better, but I knew she was right. Being a half-blood, I would always be doing things that scared her. And as I got older, the dangers would just get greater.

      "We could come home for a while," Percy offered.

      "No, no. Stay at camp. Train. Do what you need to do. But you will come home for the next school year?"

      "Yeah, of course. Uh, if there's any school that will take me."

      "Oh, we'll find something, dear," my mother sighed. "Some place where they don't know us yet."