Betrayed But Never Forgotten

Of course!!

Luke POV

It has been a few days since Percy came back from Tartarus with Nyx, and the campers are driving me absolutely insane. Every time we walk into the dining pavilion to have at least something to eat, they always stare at us like we're some kind of freak show. The whispers follow us across the room, and their expressions range from fear to disgust, as if we're carrying some contagious disease from the depths of Hell itself. The worst of all is Mr. Jason Grace, the self-proclaimed savior of Olympus.

"I hear that Chaos took pity on them for dying in their past life," Jason bragged loudly to whoever would listen, which just happened to be the entire Aphrodite cabin, all the muscle-heads from the Ares cabin, and the troublemakers from Hermes. "I bet they were all weak demigods that couldn't even figure out how to hold a shield properly. That's probably why they ended up dead in the first place."

His voice carried across the pavilion, intentionally loud enough for us to hear. The Aphrodite girls giggled behind their hands, while Clarisse and her siblings nodded in agreement, their eyes narrowed in our direction. The Stoll brothers were busy spreading these rumors to anyone who hadn't heard them yet.

I rolled my eyes at them and continued picking at my food, though my appetite had disappeared. The bland eggs and toast on my plate looked about as appealing as the mud outside after yesterday's rainstorm. I can understand why Percy, Annabeth, and Piper left Camp Half-Blood behind. These people are truly imbeciles, with the emotional intelligence of a rock and the loyalty of a weathervane.

As breakfast started to wind down, Chiron stood up and clip-clopped his way to the front of the pavilion. The centaur's face was grim, deep lines of worry etched around his ancient eyes. The pavilion fell silent as he cleared his throat.

"I have just received news that our allies from Camp Jupiter are coming across state to help protect our camp," Chiron announced, his voice echoing in the sudden quiet. "According to our intelligence, Tartarus only wants our camp demolished and destroyed and doesn't seem to care about the Roman camp. So, I expect everyone to be on their best behavior and be nice to your guests when they arrive. This is not the time for old grudges or petty rivalries."

With that, Chiron walked out of the Pavilion, his tail swishing nervously as he headed toward the Big House. The moment he was gone, the whispers erupted again like a swarm of angry bees.I looked at Percy, who sat motionless beside me. His face was hidden behind that mask, but I could sense the tension in his shoulders. Suddenly, he stood up, the bench scraping loudly against the stone floor. Everyone fell silent again, all eyes on him.

"Campers," Percy's voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of authority that made even Jason shut his mouth. "In honor of the Romans' arrival, when they get here we'll organize an extra capture the flag game in their honor. Consider it both a welcoming gesture and a way to sharpen our skills for what's coming."

Many people groaned and dragged themselves out of the pavilion, muttering complaints under their breath. Some shot dark looks our way, as if we were personally responsible for making them exercise. Soon it was just us warriors left in the empty pavilion, the sound of our breathing echoing off the marble columns.

"Let's talk strategy," Annabeth said, breaking the silence. She pulled out a detailed map that was tucked inside her cloak and spread it across our table. The parchment was worn at the edges but showed the whole of Long Island in incredible detail, including every hill, creek, and structure of Camp Half-Blood. She had clearly spent hours poring over this.

"Whenever Tartarus strikes, we need to be prepared," she continued, her gray eyes intense with concentration. "We can't just wait around for the attack to come. We need to make sure that the whole surrounding area, including the woods of camp, is covered with demigods. We can't let any monster break through our defenses."