Reading About The Child Of Artemis

The Prophecy Comes True

"What? Didn't it already come true?" Hazel asked.

"They faced the God. She found the bolt and returned it. Ariadne failed to save her mom because she saved herself. So that leaves being betrayed by a friend." Athena said going over the prophecy in her head. The Greeks all looked both sad and angry.

"Let's just read and see." Frank suggested, giving Hazel's arm a gentle squeeze.

We were the first heroes to return alive to Half-Blood Hill since Luke, so of course everybody treated us as if we'd won some reality-TV contest. 

According to camp tradition, we wore laurel wreaths to a big feast prepared in our honor, then led a procession down to the bonfire, where we got to burn the burial chords our cabins had made for us in our absence. 

"Why did you make them shrouds when they weren't dead?" Jason asked.

"Just in case." Clarisse shrugged.

"Besides, it's fun." Will smiled.

Annabeth's shroud was so beautiful-gray silk with embroidered owls-I told her it seemed a shame not to bury her in it. She shoved me a little and told me to shut up. 

Everybody laughed.

"I can't believe you said that to Annabeth." Thalia snickered.

"She did hit me." Ariadne said. "But it felt like such a waste."

Nico shakes his head. "Grown up Ariadne could learn a lesson or two from this flirting."

Being the daughter of Poseidon, I didn't have any cabin mates, so the Aphrodite cabin volunteered to make my shroud. They made mine with a beautiful green silk embroidered with tridents and seashells, since they always like the 'beauty of the sea.' It was fun to burn. 

"So..." Leo recounts. "Murder, theft, and arson... she's on a full out crime spree!"

The fact that Leo was saying that with such a natural expression really says it all.

As Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores, I was surrounded by my old Hermes cabinmates, Annabeth's friends from Athena, and Grover's satyr cousins, who were admiring the brand new searcher's license he'd received from the Council of Cloven Elders. 

"Go Grover." Piper smiled.

"Thanks." The Satyr returned her smile.

The council had called Grover's performance on the quest "Brave to the point of indigestion. Tin cans beyond indigestion were given to him" 

"Oookay?" Nico looked confused.

"Don't question it. Satyr's are weird." Ariadne faux whispered.

"Oh shut it, Perc." Grover told him easily. "Besides, it's a bit rich of you to be calling anyone else weird."

"Grover has a point." Thalia sided with the Satyr. Grover grinned smugly at Ariadne.

The only ones not in a party mood were Clarisse and her cabinmates, whose poisonous looks told me they'd never forgive me for disgracing their dad. 

"Couldn't be me." Frank says with a small laugh.

Piper nods at the boy. "I've taught you so much."

Ares nodded firmly. He was already angry his daughter seemed to have made a truce with the sea girl.

That was okay with me.

 Even Dionysus's welcome-home speech wasn't enough to dampen my spirits. "Yes, yes, so the little brat didn't get herself killed and now she'll have an even bigger head.