Reincarnation in the PJO verse: Volume 1

『The Ending Leaves A Bitter Taste』

Diedre notices the hippocampi before Percy and the others so he knows he's in the right direction. He shouts to them, "Guys, get on! I'll bring you safe and sound."

The looks of surprise and grins he receives were totally worth travelling alone at sea for so long because as soon as they hear him, Percy also magnetically comes bounding over to him, bringing the other along in the water and quickly jumping him.

"Dee! You're safe!" He exclaims, wrapping his arms tightly around Diedre as he smiles softly at Percy and says, "Obviously. Nothing can bring Diedre Hayes so easily."

All the others also rush in to give him hugs and he almost gets crushed by Tyson but that's okay, it shows how much he had been missed. 

"Now, can someone fill me in on what happened?" He asked.

♬♬♬

While pulling onto the shore, he gets a shortened version of the events and he nodded along which ended with them showing the gleaming golden fleece.

They wandered along the cruise line docks, pushing through crowds of people arriving for vacations. Porters bustled around with carts of luggage. Taxi drivers yelled at each other in Spanish and tried to cut in line for customers. If anybody noticed them-six kids dripping wet and looking like they'd just had a fight with a monster-they didn't let on.

Now that they were back among mortals, Tyson's single eye had blurred from the Mist. Grover had put on his cap and sneakers. Even the Fleece had transformed from sheepskin to a red-and-gold high school letter jacket with a large glittery Omega on the pocket.

Annabeth ran to the nearest newspaper box and checked the date on the Miami Herald. She cursed. "June eighteenth! We've been away from camp ten days!"

"That's impossible!" Clarisse said.

"Time runs differently in the Sea of Monsters," Diedre said.

"Thalia's tree must be almost dead," Grover wailed. "We have to get the Fleece back tonight."

Clarisse slumped down on the pavement. "How are we supposed to do that?" Her voice trembled. "We're hundreds of miles away. No money. No ride. This is just like the Oracle said. It's your fault, Jackson! If you hadn't interfered-"

"Percy's fault?!" Annabeth exploded. "Clarisse, how can you say that? You are the biggest-"

"Stop it!" I said.

Clarisse put her head in her hands. Annabeth stomped her foot in frustration.

"Clarisse," Diedre said, "what did the Oracle tell you exactly?"

She looked up. She took a deep breath and recited her prophecy:

"You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone,

You shall find what you seek and make it your own,

But despair for your life entombed within the stone,

And fail without friends, to fly home alone."

"Ouch," Grover mumbled.

"No," Percy said. "No ... wait a minute. I've got it."

Percy searched his pockets for money and found nothing but a golden drachma. "Does anybody have any cash?"

Annabeth and Grover shook their heads morosely. Clarisse pulled a wet Confederate dollar from her pocket and sighed. Diedre just shook his head. All the money he had, he had given to Reyna and Hylla.