The Pact

Chapter 43: The Dog's Best Friend

Third POV:

The campfire was deathly silent after Equus pushed his mask to the side. His deep sea-green eyes, showcased completely, along with his wind-swept jet black hair. His eyes darted over the crowd as demigods gaped. Then suddenly, cheers erupted, welcoming the Hero of Olympus back home.

Many campers were on the edge of their seats, only hearing of the son of Poseidon from stories. Veteran campers were pleasantly surprised as their leader and defeater of Gaea returned. Some counselors were whispering short recounts of the two wars and tales of Percy Jackson to younger campers unknowing. Others were a tad worried from both the recent dragon attack and the demigod's overall unpredictability with his seasonal mood swings.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Thalia screeched as she launched out of her seat again and got out her spear. The air surrounding her became staticky, and Equus' hair rose a bit from the electricity. The now revealed Percy Jackson held his hands out in a placating gesture, trying to calm his cousin down.

"Um, space. Just calm down, ok? There's no need for that.'' His voice came out shaky as Thalia waved her spear around, it's tip ready to strike at a moment's notice. She snarled and pushed it forwards closer, poking him in the chest.

"Kelphead-"

"Motherfucker! I knew it was you!" Equus spun around. The dark-haired teen stormed over to the center of the campfire. Campers giggled and talked to each other, watching the show unfold.

"Hey Neeks"

"Don't 'Hey Neeks' me! Why were you gone for so long?" Nico seethes.

"I didn't actually expect to come ba-"

"Do not steal my stage Death Breath! I was here first!" Thalia shouts, swinging her spear towards Nico.

"Well too bad; I'm sure my questions are the same as yours anyway!"

"Don't push me Zombie Boy."

"Quit calling me that!"

"Stop interfering with my interrogation."

Nico was about to start up his own name-calling when Percy started laughing. But what drew their attention wasn't his laughter; it was the slow flow of tears running down his cheeks as he tried to hastily wipe them clean.

The two stopped bickering in bewilderment, and the camp asked a silent question; why was he crying?

"Oh, sorry, don't mind me, just-" Percy choked out, and his voice caught in his throat. Luke squeezed his shoulder reassuringly as Thalia lowered her spear. Percy brought his head up from trying to wipe the tears away, sniffled, and plastered a wide, watery grin on his face.

"I just missed you is all. Also, I'm really sorry about the whole dragon incident," he managed. In an instant, Thalia was hugging him, squeezing the life from his body. Nico slowly edged towards the two, as if he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be dragged into the hug. He didn't get much choice when both Thalia and Percy grabbed him, adding another body into their group hug.

They stepped away from each other, and suddenly Percy looked panicked. As if something terrible was going to happen. He started mumbling under his breath, then stepping away, he raised his voice.

"Campers! I'm sure you've heard of me, and that saves me a lot of time! Time I don't have." he mumbled that last bit, but the three around him caught it, adopting confused looks. "Listen, make sure new campers are taken care of, keep each other safe, and be loyal and supportive of your friends and family. I know that was super cheesy and all, but it's important. It's how we won wars. But unfortunately, this celebration will be cut short. I was glad to see my family and friends one more time." Percy finished shouting out his message, and whispers echoed throughout the campfire. The once bright towering flame flickered down half in size.