DIVINE! | percy jackson

chapter nineteen - good to be back

CHAPTER NINETEEN
☽ 𓆉

          ESTELLA WAS shocked that they made it back to New York that fast. They came back moments after Clarisse arrived with the Fleece. During the ride, it was Estella and Percy who rode on Chiron's back. There was a bit of tension after their conversation with the centaur. The fate of the world rested on their shoulders.

Estella spotted Alice and Julia amongst the dozens of Half-Bloods gathered around Thalia's pine tree. They looked worn down, and Estella's heart ached at the sight. She practically fell off of Chiron and ran to her friends, enveloping them in a hug.

"Oh— Oh my Gods! Estella? How— how was the quest?" Alice asked in her arms.

"We did it. We got the Fleece," she told the daughters of Hermes.

They let go of their embrace to watch Clarisse drape the Fleece over the lowest branch on the tree. Immediately, the effects of the Fleece began. Everything around them came more into focus.

Estella could hear the waves of the Long Island Sound below, she could smell the strawberry fields back at camp, and she could see the moonlight glisten in the dark.

Soon enough, the needles that were once brown turned green. Julia gasped at the sight and let out a relieved cry. For two weeks straight, the campers here fenced off monsters and now that would never have to happen again. The border was back, and stronger than ever.

Estella glanced at Percy, who smiled softly at her. They were glad they didn't have to worry about dying, for now.

Chiron ordered for campers to guard the three twenty-four/seven. He told them that he would place an ad to find a sufficient monster to guard the tree so campers wouldn't have to.

Clarisse was carried off by her cabin mates to the amphitheater. The campers didn't acknowledge what Percy, Estella, and Annabeth did for them, but Estella didn't mind. She would rather not get expelled for sneaking out of the camp to find the Fleece. Clarisse did deserve some spotlight.

"Don't mind them, they're just being stupid children of Ares," Julia said.

Estella chuckled. "I don't care, really. I'm just glad to be back," she smiled.

She wrapped her arms around her friends and they walked back into their home, safe and sound.

A few hours after Estella got settled back into the Hermes cabin, Julia and Alice told her that Percy was at their door looking for her.

Estella blushed as she opened the door, seeing Percy's smiling face. It was nice to see him freshened up and stress-free.

"Hey," she said barely above a whisper.

"Hey," he said back. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. "I was wondering if you, um, wanted to go to the bonfire with me?"

Estella could hear Julia and Alice giggling behind her. The daughter of Hecate rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her, muffling the sounds of her friends.

"I would love to," she said.

Percy held out his arm for her to grab, making Estella laugh. She happily grabbed it and they walked in the darkness together.

"Glad to be back?" Percy asked.

"Thrilled." Estella paused. "I didn't realize how much I would miss this place. I guess... I guess I didn't know what having a home felt like until I met you guys."

Percy stayed silent, but she could see a faint smile across his lips in the moonlight.

"Of course I love my dad and all, but we've never clicked as I do with the people here. Like at Meriwether, it was a place my dad loved, but I was a total outcast," she explained.