Percy Jackson One Shots and Short Stories

#7 - Let's Go Camping! (Part I)

#7 - Let's Go Camping! (Part I)
published: Monday, 13 August 2018

"Okay, that's it!" Piper announced with a tone of finality. She stepped off her bike. "My ass hurts, my thighs hurt, and I'm this close to murdering Leo for all his annoying jokes."

"Oh, c'mon, Pipes," Jason tried to deter her, Leo snickering in the background. Jason stepped off his bike as well and hurried to her side. "It's not that much farther."

"Listen, I'm no wimpy, whingy child of Aphrodite, but I'm human, and about to collapse from muscle ache," Piper told him. "I'm calling an Uber, I don't care if a whole legion of monsters rains down on us!"

"Don't jinx us," Percy complained. He quickly stopped his bike before he rammed into Hazel from behind.

Piper waved her phone at him threateningly.

"It would be a shame to stop now," Annabeth's voice called out. Being the navigator, she was up at the front - with Frank, who was the most proficient cyclist - and far ahead of their petty squabble. "As we're already here."

Simultaneous cheers went down their line of demigod cyclists.

"Bless Hades," Nico breathed. "Sun and sports - not my thing."

Will Solace, one of the sons of Apollo, whom they had recently become very close to, had also been invited to their exclusive nature camping trip. "Who would've guessed?"

The 9 demigods wheeled their bikes to the little clearing in the middle of the lengthy woods. It was so secluded, no one would've known about it.

Calypso was the one who planned the entire event. She insisted that Leo and his friends had to spend time together so they wouldn't grow apart after the war.

It was tough to find a week where Annabeth, Percy and Jason were off college, Frank could take leave, and Calypso could be in charge of the workshop, but after months of planning, they did.

"What did I pack?" Hazel panted, as she dismounted and dropped her enormous rucksack on the ground. She slumped on a boulder with exhaustion. "Iron ingots?"

"I should've packed lighter," Leo agreed. "Maybe next time I'll just wear the same pair of underwear for a week."

Annabeth wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Wouldn't be the first time." Leo shrugged.

"The trees are so tall," Percy said in wonderment. He was wandering around the clearing like an awestruck toddler, staggering around as he stared at the trees stretching into the sky.

"Be careful," Annabeth called out, her eyes never leaving her accident-prone boyfriend.

Percy snorted. "I'm always careful-"

He immediately smacked face-first into a tree.

Annabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. "Not like you have any brain cells left to lose."

"Let's set up the tents," Will reminded them, getting up from where he was lazing on the grass. "It's already 3 and we should set up everything before it gets dark."

"Just a reminder: I am the scrawny kid in high school who always gets nailed in dodgeball," Nico said sulkily. "I was not made for the outdoors."

This became apparent after Nico stabbed his own left foot and knocked Jason out with one of the tent poles while setting up with him and Frank.

"Why am I always getting hit in the head?" Jason complained, rubbing the painful red welt. "At some point, I'm gonna end up with brain damage."