Percy Jackson: Tries For A Normal Life

Returning

Alex's POV:

I'd only known her for two days, but my heart ached. Tears poured down my face. It mattered most to me that I saved everybody, when instead. . . I killed her.

I wiped away snot from my nose and wiped some of her blood off my arms with the lake, though most of it stained, so my shirt looked like I was dying. If you turned the corner of the lake, Heidi's blood stained the water as well.

I finally sprinted through the woods back to everyone else.

"I'm so sorry, Alex." Stacy said "I-I know how you felt about her."

"Yeah." I said. I tried to act tough, but I couldn't keep myself together and I bawled into her shoulders.

"I love you." Stacy said

"Love you too." I sniffled "Alright, Let's go."

We got on the horses and took off to camp.

○○○○

About 30 minutes later, the horses needed a break, so we stopped.

That was a bad idea.

"Uh. . . Alex?" Luna asked "Wh-what is that?"

"What is what?" Jack asked.

"Is that a. . .?" She asked me.

"Harpies?" Stacy asked "What are they doing away from camp?"

"I don't know." I said "Are they checking on us?"

"No, they're not allowed to leave campus unless to-" She gulped "Eat a student."

This made Jack wince.

"Don't worry, Jack." Phoebe said "They can't eat mortals."

He sighed with relief "But. . . You guys?"

His grungy sandy brown hair blew in the wind, and the dirt on his face blended.

"We'll be fine." Phoebe smiled "We've been training our whole lives."

"We'll protect you, Jack." Luna said "Remember the wall?"

Jack laughed "It was a huge hole."

"I kicked that." She said "I'll do that to these guys."

"For me?" He asked.

"For you." She smiled faintly. Her smile was like a cool ocean breeze against my skin. "Love you." She kissed his forehead and she held her fist out and Jack put his palm against it.

"Over the moon?" He asked.

"I love you over the moon, through the trees, under the sea, and around the world." Luna said.

"Okay, we have to be quiet." I said "They know we're close, but don't know exactly."

I gave Luna a spear and told Jack to yell if he needed us.

We stepped off into the direction of the harpies and prepared to get eaten.

"Alexander." One hissed "We aren't eating you."

"Chiron asked us to check on you." Another said.

"And. . . He couldn't iris message?" I asked.

"The camp is dealing with. . . problems." The first one said.

"If you aren't there tomorrow, he may be fired." The first hissed and they flew off, shaking their heads in disbelief.

"That was a waste of time." I said.