Camp Hermit-Blood - The Sea of Monsters

Grian

Grian knew he shouldn't have done it.

That daughter of Zeus, Thalia… he wasn't sure if she would survive if the Fleece wasn't on that tree. He wasn't sure if removing it would remove its effects.

Well, either way, it was too late now. If Thalia died a couple hours after she was resurrected, he'd be expelled from camp.

He wouldn't be able to go back anyway. He was probably expelled for stealing the Fleece even if Thalia was alive.

Grian forced himself not to look back at camp to make sure and ran into the forest with the shimmering pelt bundled in his arms. That thing was heavy.

He knew which way he was supposed to go to meet Luke. And then he'd be free to go on his way, probably back to Hermitcraft, and the other Hermits would be left alone.

That was what Luke had promised, anyway. And Grian had no choice but to trust him.

He found his half brother at the spot they had decided beforehand, and the spot that the entire camp knew: that section of the creek where Percy and Ren had been claimed last year… and, according to Luke, where he had tried to kill Percy with a pit scorpion.

Fun things.

And Luke was there. Just waiting. Grian was expecting a dramatic entrance, but it just looked like a guy in dress clothes… in the middle of the woods. Kicking rocks into the creek. Nothing wrong with that.

Luke shot Grian a friendly grin as he approached. Or maybe it was the Fleece that he smiled at.

"Good, you have it," Luke said, holding his hand out to take it.

Grian raised an eyebrow. "Not even a 'hi' for your brother?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "I don't have the patience for this. Give me the Fleece."

"You promise to give it back when you're done?"

"Yes."

"And leave the Hermits alone?"

"Yes."

"And not... and not tell them I'm alive?"

"Yes! I swore on the Styx, remember? Now hand it over!"

Grian stroked the Fleece like a villain stroking their evil pet in movies and gave his trademark Evil Chaos Gremlin smile. "Nah."

He had never wiped a smirk off of someone’s face so quickly.

It felt good.

Luke scowled. "I should have known you would do this. You swore on the Styx to steal it for me, Grian."

"I swore to steal it," Grian replied, getting ready to flee. "I never said I would give it to you."

And with that, he ran into the woods.

The sounds of Luke's pursuit were close behind, he wasn't exactly being quiet about it despite being a son of Hermes. Twigs were snapping, leaves were crunching, dryads were yelling, mostly at Luke.

Grian, light on his feet even with the heavy Fleece, managed to lose sight of Luke for a second. He hid behind a tree (its dryad was not thrilled), pulled out Tango's communicator that he had stolen, and hurried to type an urgent message to Xisuma back in Hermitcraft, praying to every god he could think of that the admin of the server would receive it.

And by the time Luke saw Grian and started chasing him again, the red-sweatered war starter had already teleported.

------

He landed at spawn.

The familiar buildings, trees, and Hermissippi River surrounded him. Grian breathed in the fresh Minecraft air. He was safe. He was home.

"I'm not going to ask why you needed that so badly," Xisuma said.

There was a silence.

Xisuma sighed. "Okay, why did you need that so badly?"

"Because of this," Grian replied, holding up the golden bundle in his arms.

Xisuma stared at it.

"Gold is worthless," he said.

Grian smacked Xisuma.

"OW!" the admin protested. "What was that for?! It is!"

Grian held out the Fleece, and Xisuma touched it. "I wasn't hitting you because you said gold is worthless."

"It heals," Xisuma said in wonder. "My hearts are regenerating."

Grian nodded. "It can even being back the dead," he said. "It did it to someone at camp. She was killed, and then the gods turned her into a tree, and then we put this in the tree to heal the camp because it was poisoned and then the girl came back to life."

Xisuma gasped. "You don't mean-"

Grian nodded. That was the real reason he had stolen the Fleece. Not for Luke. Luke didn't deserve it.

However, there was someone who did.

Grian grinned, his new hope blossoming in his chest like a dark cave that someone had placed a torch in.

"I'm going to do it," he said. "I'm going to bring Scar back."