Dancing with Death

A Hero's Welcome

Eliza stared at Camp Half-blood from where they stood at the peak of Half-blood Hill. A tall pine reached towards the sky, the golden fleece draped in its branches. A dragon slept curled around the base of the trunk, smoke puffing rhythmically from his nostrils.

Eliza's head was swimming with the sheer amount of vitality in the camp. Ever since they'd left the Wolf House, she'd been able to sense the plants around them. It had been a little overwhelming at first. She'd collapsed into Jason's arms when the they'd taken the first few steps into the forest. Now, she'd finally gotten used to it... for the most part. It still made thinking difficult.

She massaged her temples, closing her eyes to try and focus.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked.

She didn't open her eyes. "Fine, just... taking it all in."

He nodded sympathetically and waited until she was ready before continuing down the hill.

They were immediately mobbed by campers, all asking questions and begging for the story.

The chorus of loud voices hurt Eliza's head, forcing more input into an already-full space. She squeezed her eyes shut and desperately tried to block the campers out. It wasn't working.

Thank the gods, Annabeth spotted them and shooed the crowding half-bloods away. She approached Jason, trying to look happy about his return. "I assume things went fairly well since you're back."

Jason shot a quick glance at Eliza, who was still rubbing the sides of her head. "Well... we freed Hera, but Porphyrion escaped."

"On the bright side," Piper put in. "Enceladus is out of the picture."

Annabeth furrowed her brow. "Enceladus?"

Piper shrugged. "It's a long story."

Annabeth took a deep breath, as if she really didn't want to be here. "I'm sure it is." She turned. "Come on. You can explain everything at the war council."

"War council." Leo spoke up. "That sounds cheerful."

Piper elbowed him in the side and they all followed Annabeth to the Big House.
* * *
The war council consisted of the head councilors of each cabin and Chiron the centaur. It wasn't an official meeting, but Chiron had decided it would be easier than making them retell their story over and over... and over again.

Eliza let the others do most of the talking. She was too busy replaying the whole thing in her mind, trying to puzzle out some of the weird things that had happened. Granted, almost all of it was weird, but some of it didn't make sense, like how did she kick Medea so hard that she'd bled. She knew she wasn't that strong and the sorceress had backed off before Eliza had kicked her. Unless... the blood looked like it was from a stab wound and no one else had been close enough. Had Eliza... done that? Had she instinctively used her powers against Medea? It was the only thing that made sense.

Then, with Enceladus, he'd let her go for seemingly no reason. What if... she'd used her power then too? He'd shaken his hand like it'd been stabbed. Had she done that? Had she been using her powers from the beginning and just not noticed?

Her mind flashed back to the night she'd spent in Jason's cabin, the tiny flower that had broken through the concrete floor right next to her bunk. The rest of the floor was flawless and the base of the cabin was pretty thick. She hadn't thought about it at the time, but it was almost impossible for that flower to be there unless she'd grown it. Her identity had been right under her nose the whole time. How had she not seen it?

Eliza hadn't realized the others were leaving until Jason touched her shoulder and she noticed that she was the last one at the table. She rose and followed him outside.

Annabeth, Piper, and Leo were waiting for them on the porch. Leo sat in a rocking chair, seeing how far he could push it back before he fell over. Piper sat on the steps, weaving a strand of hair into a small braid. Annabeth leaned against one of the posts holding up the porch's roof. She was staring off into the distance, probably strategizing where to look for Percy Jackson next. They all turned when Eliza and Jason came out.

Leo stopped tipping his chair. "You went into one of your little trances again." He drummed his fingers on the armrests of the rocking chair.

"Trances?" Annabeth met Eliza's gaze.

"It's nothing." Eliza shot Leo a quick death glare. "Sometimes, I just get lost in my own head."

Annabeth grinned. "Me too." Her expression hardened. "Jason said you're the daughter of Persephone."

"Proserpine, but yeah." Eliza corrected. "She's one of the gods that changed the most between cultures. While Persephone is a bit of a spoiled brat, Proserpine is more of a warrior. You know how the Romans love their gods of war."

Annabeth nodded thoughtfully. "Well, having actually met Persephone, I'll readily say I'm glad you're not like her."

Eliza chuckled. "Who'd have thought? A Greek happy to meet a Roman."

Annabeth's smile returned. "First time for everything, right?"

Eliza felt her grin widen. "Does this mean I don't have to sleep in the Hermes cabin anymore?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Technically, yes, although we don't have a cabin for Persephone..." Her voice trailed off and she faced the woods. "Actually, I have an idea."
                                     *   *   *
"Where are you taking me?" Eliza trudged through the trees, following Annabeth.

"You'll see." Annabeth continued for about another hundred yards and stopped. "Here we are."

Eliza stepped out of the brush and stood next to Annabeth. "And where exactly is 'here'?"

Annabeth just chuckled and looked up.

Eliza followed her gaze and her jaw dropped.

Resting in the bows of a massive tree was a treehouse only a little smaller than the other cabins with a wrap-around porch, shuttered windows, and a makeshift ladder leading further up the branches.

Eliza was speechless.

Annabeth heaved a long satisfied breath. "Welcome to Cabin 13."