Anyone who knows Arya Jackson for more than five minutes knows her opinion of the world, and demigods not so fair place in it. Unfortunately, since the war Arya isn't that easy to get to know. To most she's little more than a legend.
Arya is fine w...
"Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still, you find reasons to keep living."
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23.
New Friends to Be Had
POSEIDON HAD FOLLOWED HIS DAUGHTER OUT. He congratulated her on her mannerisms. She thanked him but didn't say much more.
She didn't feel very accomplished right now. It didn't feel like she had made any progress with the gods. He tried to talk to Arya more, but she was tired and upset. She missed her brother and felt impending stress about another war. The panic attack had worn her down. A small part of her wanted to get into her bed and keep to herself but there was too much to do, she was stronger than that. Arya had to push through those feelings. Poseidon offered to send her back to camp but she denied.
There was somewhere else she needed to go first.
Arya blinked and was standing in front of her mother, Noelle's, grave. She sat down and cried to herself for a few minutes, letting herself get out everything she was feeling. Then she apologized to Noelle and wiped away her tears. From there, she started filling her in. Starting backwards. She talked about the council, then the last three days, then Percy going missing.
She sat quiet for a minute, her fingers lightly tracing over her mother's name that was now her middle name. Arya was waiting for something, anything, just like she always did. She wanted an answer, wanted comfort, wanted her mother to tell her everything was going to be okay. But like always Noelle didn't answer. It was stupid to expect one.
Then she continued to talk, telling about her months gone and how much fun she had overseas. Something that seemed so far away. Arya explained how it seemed they were going to have to go back there, but now under much different circumstances.
She didn't know what time she got back to camp but it was late. The cleaning harpies left her alone which surprised her until she got to the Big House and saw Chiron pacing the front porch.
"It's late old man." Arya teased.
"Too late for campers to be out of bed." He said attempting to be firm, but the relief on his face was far to revelining.
"Good thing I'm not an average camper anymore."
"Have you ever been an average camper?"
"Touché"
Arya was grateful he didn't ask about the council or the quest. The latter he had probably already been filled in on. He told the girl tomorrow at noon there would be a council called and she was expected to be there. The last thing he said before they parted ways was that he was glad to see that she made it back okay.
