A Celebration of Grace

1.7: BOOM!!!!!

PIPER:*sniffles* I wish Thalia were here. I think she needs to know she's not alone in this.

HAZEL: I agree. She's all alone now: he was her brother, her last bit of family. If I lost Nico... *shakes head at the thought*

ANNABETH:*Sits up straighter* No, that's not true. We're her family, as well, something we all forget too much.*pause* She forgets it as well.

PERCY: *nods* Annabeth is right: we should let her know we're here for her.

LEO: How, though? Unless you have a Hunter tracker... *pauses and then grins softly* If so, can I have it?

FRANK: *chuckles* you're such a weirdo, Leo.

LEO: *grins* you know me! King of the Weirdo's.

HAZEL:*thoughtfully* Iris Message her?

ANNABETH SHAKES HER HEAD.

ANNABETH: I tried yesterday and then this morning to double check. She just ignored me completely.

COACH: *butts in randomly* Clarisse, what's on your mind?

EVERYONE LOOKS AT CLARISSE WHO'S BEEN FROWNING AT THE FLOOR.

CLARISSE: *slowly* I know where she is.*pause* But she'll kill me if I tell you.

PERCY: *tired* Just tell us, dude. She'll thank us later.

FRANK: *heavy with sarcasm* It's not like she'll literally kill you or anything.

HAZEL:*grinning* or like she has a whole army of girls who will willingly do it for her at as much as a flick of her wrist.

ANNABETH: *catching on- now grinning hugely* or that she's the right hand arm of Artemis or anything.

PERCY: *smiles at his girlfriend* O that she's a skilled archer, or anything like that.

CLARISSE:*scowls* I can't tell if you're helping me, or mocking me. Or making fun of Thalia.

FRANK: *laughs* Just tell us.

CLARISSE: *sighs* Okay, so she's in-

LEO LETS OUT A LOUD SNEEZE.

EBERYONE LOOKS AT HIM.

LEO: Sorry, the anticipation made my nose itchy. *gestures at Clarisse to continues* Go on.

CLARISSE: She's in their cabin. Right now. She's been here since lunch.

DEAD SILENCE (Bwahaha I'm so punny)

ANNABETH: You're kidding?

CLARISSE SHAKES HER HEAD.

CLARISSE: She wanted to come to a place he loved the most. And while he did grow up, *PAUSE* at Camp Jupiter... *shrugs* it was obvious that this was his home.

PERCY: *rudely* and when did you plan on telling us this?

FRANK: *accusingly* Hold up, how do you even know this?

HAZEL: *chimes in before CLARISSE can speak* they're friends. Plus, I mean, it makes sense that Thalia would come here. Clarisse must've known this and checked and was right. *looks at Clarisse* Am I right?

CLARISSE: Yeah, actually you are. Annabeth, when you first told me she wasn't coming, I didn't believe you. He meant way too much to her to just not show up to his celebration of Life party. So checked the cabin and low and behold, she was curled up in that stupid little alcove by Zeus's feet, crying.

EVERYONE IS SILENT, WAITING FOR HER TO CONTINUE.

CLARISSE: Uh, anyways. So I talked to her for a while – about him and stuff, and she said that she didn't want anyone to know that she as here because you all remind her of him, in ways. Something like that. I dunno.

PERCY: I think what you're trying to say is that we remind her of everything he left behind and that it hurts her to see us hurting because it reminds her of when *chokes* it happened?

CLARISSE NODS.

Clarisse: But that's not all. She said she's hiding from-

THE SOUND OF A BOMB GOING OFF OUTSIDE CUT CLARISSE OFF. EVERYONE JUMPS AND A FEW OF THEM YELP IN SHOCK. THE CABIN RUMBLES AND SHAKES WITH THE AFTERSHOCKS OF THE BOOM.

PERCY BEING PERCY BOLTS TOWARDS THE DOOR AND RUNS OUTSIDE TO SEE THAT HAPPENED.

AFTER A MINUTE OF SILENCE YOU HEAR PERCY RUN BACK IN.

PERCY: Might be hard to find her now, considering someone just blew up the Zeus cabin.

END OF PODCAST ONE