Smithereens

Chapter 14

Hey guys sorry this took so long. I don't update during the summer cuz i'm at camp.

The song is Me Without You by Ashe.

Does anyone ever listen to the songs I post? I don't care if you do, just wondering. You totally should, though. They're all so good.

ALSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I never read trials of apollo, i just read a summary of it on line, because I couldn't get into it, but I really wanted to know what happened. Lavinia is in this chapter, because I really love the idea of her, and with Hazel dead, I needed someone to be the centurion of the fifth cohort. So I'm really sorry if shes a little out of character, but i just really love the idea of her.

We landed at Camp Half-Blood only a couple minutes later. I was surprised to see most of Camp Jupiter was there as well.

"What's the Legion doing here?" I asked Reyna. 

She shrugged. "Just paying a visit. Trying to help you Greeks reconstruct, since most of your leaders are... out of commission." She looked at me, judgement in her eyes. I winced. So, yeah. It was my fault. I wasn't around to help them re-build, but I really needed a few months to get my life back in order. "And we haven't really left since the funerals."

Oh. That made a lot of sense, too.

Chiron trotted up to us, a small band of campers close behind. I recognized some of them, but for the most part, they were way younger than me. "Percy," he said, patting me on the back.

"Hey, Chiron."

"It's a good thing you've come back. We need to talk." Chiron looked at Peter. "And who's this?"

"This is my cousin, Peter. He's a Legacy of Athena." 

Chiron smiled at him.  "Oh, that's great news." He turned to the crowd. "Malcolm, Margaret, could one of you show Peter around camp while I speak to Percy?"

Malcolm nodded and stepped forward. "Sure thing." He smiled a little at me. "Hey, Percy."

I'll admit, I've been trying to avoid Malcolm since Annabeth's death. He had been her second in command since my third year at camp, and it hurt a little, knowing that he would be taking her place. No one could ever replace her, and the Athena kids would agree with me, but it still hurt. A lot.

I nodded. "Malcolm."

"Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about-"

"Later," I cut him off, a little harsher than I intended to. "How about you help Pete settle in, then come find me, yeah?"

He nodded. I turned to Peter. "I'm going into a meeting. I'll see you at dinner."

Margaret, the new second in command of Cabin 6, touched Malcolm's arm. "Don't you have to go to that meeting, too?"

Malcolm shrugged. "You could go instead."

Margaret's eyes widened. "Me? But I've never done that on my own before. I don't-"

"You can do it," I encouraged. "Malcolm has to show Peter around."

She blushed. "O-okay."

"Great. Lead on, Chiron!"

...

It felt nice to be having a serious meeting around the ping-pong table of the rec room again. It made me sad that the Stolls weren't there to pour Cheez Whiz into each other's mouths, or see how many pretzel sticks they could fit up one nostril. And it was also a little depressing to not have Annabeth around, being the one voice of reason, or Silena, to play mediator.