𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑫𝑹𝑬𝑫 • 𝑃𝐸𝑅𝐶𝑌 𝐽𝐴𝐶𝐾𝑆𝑂𝑁 [2]

I

Elaine Young found herself counting down the days to the start of her summer vacation in January.

Luckily for her, it was Monday morning, the first week of June, and she was on her way to New York.

Ever since her brief stay at Camp Half-Blood during her winter break six months prior, all Elaine could think of were the friends she'd made.

Her older brother, Lee Fletcher, sent her letters and kept her updated on new siblings their father had claimed during her absence. They were looking at nearly a full cabin that summer. Elaine couldn't be more excited. The mere prospect of having siblings was something so foreign to her. For so long, it had just been her, her mother, and step-father James in their apartment in Bennington.

Her friend, Percy Jackson, consistently Iris-messaged her in the beginning. But as the school year progressed and he got ready to begin high school, their calls became less and less frequent.

One person Elaine wasn't expecting to stay in contact with was Annabeth Chase, though she supposed going on a quest to save someone's life could invoke a sense of gratitude.

They Iris-messaged almost everyday after school. Annabeth would help Elaine study and Elaine would listen to Annabeth's weekly updates on Thalia and her family in San Francisco.

Together, the new friends planned to meet up with Percy in New York when Elaine traveled south to go to camp. Percy would go to a high school orientation for a school that his mom's boyfriend taught at in the morning, and by the afternoon, Annabeth and Elaine would be in the city to hang out. Annabeth would bring Elaine back to camp and Percy would join them later in the week.

Elaine's mother, Vera Young, had initially been reluctant to allow Elaine to return to camp. After her last visit had resulted in a quest with two of her friends sacrificing themselves, she'd noticed a major change in Elaine's mood.

As the summer approached, however, Elaine had something to look forward to and her mother didn't want to take away the one thing that made her get out of bed. She saved up, and bought her a bus ticket that would take her to Albany, and from Albany a train ticket that would take her to Manhattan by midday.

As they drove to the bus station, Elaine spoke excitedly of all the activities she looked forward to most. The early hour didn't bother her, and her mother's ability to work odd hours at their local clinic was considered a blessing as she actively kept up with what Elaine was saying.

"Lee said another arrival came to Apollo cabin last week. He's a little younger than me. He said he was going to wait until I got there to start us in the infirmary."

"Do you want to work in the infirmary?"

"Only if I'm good at it. Thank gods for you and Annabeth helping me with my biology homework."

Their arrival at the bus station was greeted by a pink sunrise. A few people bustled about, mainly adults going to work out of state, and a couple of travelers like Elaine.